Raising Lily: A Lucas Scott fanfiction
by mprincess3
Summary: After Karen's death, Lucas adopted his newborn baby sister as his own. He is determined to raise Lily up to be everything that Karen and Keith would want her to be. This story focuses on all points of Lucas' life.
1. The Day that Dies with Us

This story is about Lucas raising Lily as his own daughter. Everything will remain the same expect that Karen has died and Lily lives with Lucas. She will experience first hand everything Lucas goes through until he finally ends up with the one.

Prologue:

"Graduation day. Tree Hill High. A day when we officially leave the refuge of high school and begin our real lives. But what of those lives? As we go into the word, what matters most? Is it about the things we create? The things we achieve? The awards we win? Is it about who we are when we fail? What's more important? What we become or how we become it?"

"She's crashing," The nurse said as five followed her into the room of Karen Roe. Karen is rushed to surgery as Deb Scott worries about the future; she text Lucas that his mom had now been moved into surgery.

Lucas, Peyton, Skills, Brooke, and Mouth all watch as Nathan climbed into the ambulance to join his wife. They were about to be parents, the happiest moment of their lives. Lucas looked down at phone and raced off. Peyton turned and smiled at where she thought Lucas was. Her face turned to panic. Lucas arrived at hospital and saw his mom being wheeled away. He crossed paths with Nathan and they hugged and went their separate ways. Nathan and Haley welcomed their new baby boy James Lucas Scott to the world. In the other room Lucas watched as the doctors were trying to operate.

"She's going." The doctor said.

"MOM!" Lucas yelled.

"Lily" Karen and with took her last breath.

It had been about three weeks since Karen's passing. In Karen's Will everything was left to Lucas, the house, the diner, Tric, her money and most importantly Lily. Lucas decided to take the job with Whitey and followed Nathan, Haley and Jamie to school.


	2. In a Flash

Lucas woke up earlier than normal. He was meeting Skills at the high school gym to talk about the new game plan for the men's basketball team. He was lying in bed rubbing his eyes. He had stayed up longer than he wanted to last night because of his writing. He looked at the clock and it was 6 am. He rolled out of bed and walked to the shower. He knew he probably had at least thirty minutes before Lily would be awake. He took a shower and then got out. He wrapped his lower half in a towel and then walked back to his room. He changed into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt with writing on it. He finished getting ready by fixing his hair. He then looked at the clock. It was almost 7. He didn't realize how long of a shower he took. He finished picking up his room and then walked to Lily's room. Lily was still asleep in her bed. He smiled and then woke her up. Lily was a very easy child to wake up. Lucas thinks it is because Nathan would wake her up to say goodbye each morning before he left for classes and when he came back from games.

"Morning sunshine." He said as she smiled. He then walked to her closet and opened it up. He grabbed a dress that was red with white flowers on it from the closet and then laid it on the bed. Lily looked at it and then shook her head. "Lil we don't have time for you to be a princess right now." He said as she pouted. He sighed and then picked out shoes. He helped her get dressed and then finished by putting her shoes on.

"What's for breakfast?" She asked as he smiled at her.

"We are going to stop for donuts." He said as she cheered. He smiled and then grabbed her ladybug backpack. He started packing up a couple toys and a coloring book. He finished and then turned to Lily. "Ready?" He asked.

"No." She said as he looked at her.

"Why not?" He asked as she jumped off her bed and walked to the bathroom. He followed her and found her brushing her teeth. He watched her and she finished. "Ready now?" He asked as she handed him her hair brush. He had completing forgot to fix her hair. He picked her up and set her down on the counter. He started brushing her hair. Haley had shown him how to fix her hair before but he was really bad at it. He tried to braid it but it was a mess. He then just pulled it up into a messy ponytail. She smiled and he picked her up. He set her down and he sighed. He wished he was a lot better at doing at hair. He grabbed her backpack and then her hand. They walked to the car and he opened the door and helped her in.

"I forgot Teddy." She said as he buckled her in.

"Well Teddy will be on your bed when you get home." He said as he shut the door. He got into his seat and started the car.

"But I want Teddy." She said as he backed up the car.

"Sweetie, I don't want you to have Teddy at the river court." He said as she pouted. He sighed and continued to drive. He pulled up to the donut shop and they both got out. Lucas had a rule for Lily when they are out. She has to wait by her door for him. They walked inside together and stood in line. They got to the front and Lucas order donut holes for Lily and two chocolate donuts for him. They sat down at a table and started eating. He finished eating and then watched as she ate. She finished and he wiped her hands off and then her mouth. They then got up and he walked with her out to the car. They got in and drove to the high school. They then walked to Haley's classroom. Lucas poked his head in with a smile on his face. "Man, they do grow up fast." Lucas said while looking at Jamie sitting at a desk. Haley looked up from her paper work with a smile.

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said as he got and ran to Lucas.

"J-Luke!" Lucas said as he picked up Jamie. "You're already in high school?" He asked. Lily walked up to Haley's desk with a smile. Haley looked at Lily's hair and picked her up and set her on the desk. She then started to french braid her hair.

"No, I'm only 4." Jamie said as Lucas chuckled.

"4 going on 40." Lucas said as he set Jamie down. "What are you working on?" He asked.

"You can't see it." Jamie said as he ran over to the desk. "It's not done."

"Yeah, trust me, I understand that one." Lucas said referring to his second book that was still unfinished. He then walked to Haley's desk.

"I take it the writings not going well?" She asked as he looked at Lily and then back at Haley.

"The writing is not going at all." He said and then looked at her desk. "What about you? How was the last day of student teaching?"

"Great." She said as she looked at her papers. "Just trying not to freak out about next week when it's just me." She said with hear in her voice.

"You're gonna be great, Hales." He said with confidence. "Did you get a nanny yet?" He asked.

"No not yet." She responded with a little bit of frustration in her voice.

"Well, you know, you can't babysit him forever, Hales." He said as she looked up at him. He then whispered so that the kids couldn't hear, "and by him i mean Nathan, not Jamie."

"Well, it's only been four months." Haley said as she rolled her eyes. Lucas took the eye roll as his note to leave. He walked to Lily and grabbed her hand. They then walked to his office together. He had a box of stuff to put in his office. He opened the door and smirked a bit. It was weird being on the other end of the desk, especially since it was Whitey's old desk. He started placing pictures on his desk and watched as Lily danced around.

"Isn't daddy's office cool?" He asked as Lily sat down in the chair across from his desk.

"Yeah." She said as he smiled. He finished setting everything up and then they walked into the gym. Skills was already in the gym shooting around. Lucas knelt down and told Lily to go sit in the bleachers. She skipped over to them and sat down. She then pulled out a coloring book and started to color.

"So, six months ago when they asked us t fix this mess, what the hell were we thinking saying yes?" Skills asked as he looked at Lucas walking up to him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Skill Taylor, new assistant head coach of the Tree Hill Ravens." Lucas said as he caught the ball that Skills passed to him.

"Hey, if you could afford me." Skills said with a laugh. Lucas shot the ball and made it. "So, how great is this, huh? Lucas Scott, head coach." He said, as he high fived him. "Local boy makes good."

"Local boys made good." Lucas corrected him. "You're a big part of this, Skills."

"I hope so." Skills said looking at the goal. He then noticed that Lily was jumping off the bleachers and then climbing back up and doing it again. He smiled and laughed a bit.

"Man, we blew this place up." Lucas said with a smile as he looked around.

"Hey, how many games they won since we hung that state championship banner?" Skills asked as they both looked at the banner.

"Not many." Lucas answered. He looked at him with a very serious look. "But i do know one thing - losing is over."

"Oh, no doubt." Skills smiled and then walked over to Lily. "And what are you doing Miss Lily?" He asked as she jumped off the bleachers.

"Jumping." Lily said with a giggled and then climbed up back onto the bleachers.

"Lily Roe Scott, don't you dare jump again." Lucas said sounding very fatherly. He then started to walk over to them.

"Aw come on man, don't be a party popper." Skills said with a smile. He was being sarcastic but Lily didn't know that.

"Yeah don't poop on the party daddy." Lily said while standing on the bleachers. Lucas shook his head and then looked at Skills.

"Thanks Skills." Lucas said rolling his eyes. He then looked at Lily who had her arms crossed. He smiled because she looked really cute. "Sweetie do you want to go home and play or go with gross Uncle Skills?" He asked as Skills smiled and pointed to himself.

"What you doing at home?" She asked.

"I'm going to be writing and then go see Uncle Nathan. I'm also going to pick up Jamie." He said.

"I wanna go with Uncle Skills." She said as Skills smiled.

"Okay, I'll see you at the river court." Lucas said as he kissed her cheek. He hugged her and then walked out of the gym. Lucas got in his car and drove home. He sat down at his laptop and started writing. The house was very quiet. Since Lily wasn't home he was able to concentrate. Normally Lily would come in every couple minutes and bother him, and since he wasn't inspired he would let her distract him. He opened his laptop and began to write, 'and like the river court signatures of their younger selves, weathered now, faded. So, too were they.' He read it and then deleted it. He then typed, 'I suck.' He looked at the screen and was getting a video call from his edit Lindsey. She appeared on his screen.

"Tell me you are writing the best pages of your life." She said with an eager smile.

"Well, hi to you too." Lucas said with a smile.

"If not the best pages of your life, at least a bunch of okay pages?" She asked while looking at his face She knew he wasn't writing.

"I've written a few sentences." He answered.

"Uh-huh." Lindsey said engaged in their conversation.

"And deleted them because they suck.: He said as he rubbed his neck.

"Luke, this is serious." She said with a serious tone. It was the tone of voice he would use when he would talk to Lily. "I can't be your editor if I don't have anything to edit. My butt is on the line here. Tell me you have something, anything."

"Uh Lindsey?" He said as he started to shake the computer screen.

"Luke? I don't know." She said back.

"You know, I think it;s an earthquake." He said, as he continued to shake the computer.

"Lucas Scott!" She said as he shut his laptop. He sat there and thought about what he could write about. He had nothing. He got up from his desk and looked at the clock. It was almost noon He walked into Lily's room and started to pick up her toys. He also made her bed. After he finished that, he then did some laundry until 1:30. He folded the laundry and then headed to his little brother's house. He walked into the house and found Nathan trying to get a bottle of alcohol.

"Haley keeps the alcohol out of my reach." Nathan said as he used a trophy to reach a bottle of alcohol. "Well she tries at least." He said as he knocked it into his hand.

"It's a little early, don't you think?" Lucas said walking into the living room. Nathan rolled his eyes and then moved away. "So how's physical therapy going?" He asked.

"How's your second book coming?" Nathan said quickly.

"Ouch." Lucas said as he leaned against the back of a couch. "So, you know, Haley told me that the doctors say you'll be up on your fee any day now. Pretty lucky, Nate."

"Oh, yeah, that's me. Mr. Lucky." Nathan said sarcastically.

"I'm just saying you'll be back to normal in no time." Lucas added.

"Luke, I'm never gonna play basketball again. That't not exactly normal, okay?" Nathan said as Lucas grabbed the bottle from him. "Luke, damn it. Don't be a dick, all right?"

"You want it?" Walk over here and get it." Lucas said as he stood a couple feet from Nathan.

"Why don't I walk over there and kick your ass, huh?" Nathan said getting pissed off.

"Kicking, Kicking's good. Let's see it." Lucas said with a smile on his face.

"Give me that bottle right now or Dan's not gonna be the only Scott to kill his brother." Nathan said as he then watched Jamie walk into the room.

"Ready Uncle Lucas?" Jamie asked as he looked over at his dad.

"Real nice, Nate." Lucas said.

"Luke...just..." Nathan started to say.

"Come on Jamie, let's go." Lucas said as he grabbed Jamie's hand.

"Bye daddy." Jamie said.

"Bye-bye." Nathan said as he watched Lucas and Jamie leave. The two then made their way over to the river court. Skills and Lily were already there with Mouth ,Junk and Fergie.

"So, none of you guys know who ate my pizza?" Skills asked as he looked at Junk, Mouth and Fergie.

"Nah, man." Junk said as Skills rolled his eyes.

"Amazing. So, my pizza just ate itself?" Skills asked as the guys laughed a bit.

"Hey, I was working on my audition reel." Mouth added.

"Hey, that's good." Skills said as he looked at Mouth. "'Cause you owe me for the rent." He said and then turned to Junk and Fergie. "And you two knuckleheads owe me for a pizza." He said as Jamie and Lucas walked up to them. "Big Game James." He said as Jamie smiled "Hey, yo Big Game. I go something for you." He said as he gave Jamie a jersey.

"Cool." Jamie said as Lucas got on his level.

"You want to try it on?" Lucas added as Jamie nodded. He then helped him. "Put your arms through and there we go." He said. The jersey went down to his feet.

"It's perfect!" Jamie said with a big smile.

"let's see what you got, baller." Fergie said as Jamie started to play with Skills. Jamie went up to shoot and Skills knocked it away.

"Darn it, uncle Skills, you ways do that." Jamie said as he ran after the ball.

"You ever gonna let him score?" Fergie asked.

"Shorty shouldn't be in the paint. He got to learn." Skills laughed.

"Dude, he's four." Junk said as Skills shrugged. Lucas laughed as he walked over to Lily. She was sitting on the bleachers. He sat down next to her and started talking. After they finished talking they all headed back to the boys' apartment to play some video games. They got to the apartment and Lily went to Mouth's bedroom to play. Lucas walked into the bedroom and looked at Lily.

"Are you sure you don't want to play the game with us? Skills said you can play on his team." He said as Lily shook her head. "Okay well we will be in the living room if you need anything." He said as she nodded. He got up and walked into the living room to play a game.

"Down by 2, and it looks like they're bringing in a rookie. Clock running down, time for one last play." Skills said as they played.

"All right, Jamie, this is what we're gonna do. When I tell you, I want you to hit the green button. Okay?" Lucas said as Jamie nodded.

"Don't do it Jamie!" Fergie said.

"Pass it to your old pal Junkie." Junk said as Haley walked in. The boys didn't noticed her but Lily did. Haley sighed when she saw Lily playing by herself. She walked into Mouth's bedroom and started to talk to her.

"You're ready?" Lucas said as he looked at Jamie.

"No, no, no, no, no." Junk and Fergie said.

"Now!" Lucas said as Jamie pressed the button. Jamie made the shot. Jamie Lucas and Skills started cheering. Lucas grabbed Jamie and had him upside down when Haley walked into the room.

"Hi upside-down boy." Haley said as she looked at her son and his uncle.

"Hey mama! We won!" Jamie said as Haley nodded.

"Oh, wow." She said as Lucas laughed.

"We were just...Here you go." Lucas said as he set Jamie down. Jamie was saying goodbye to Mouth, Skills, Junk and Fergie while Haley and Lucas talked

"Look, I kind of gave Nathan some grief today about not being on his feet yet." Lucas said as Haley shrugged.

"Oh, well, you know." Haley said quietly.

"I know he;s a little dark right now. You got to push him, Hales." Lucas said as Jamie walked to his mom.

"Okay, mom, I'm ready." Jamie said.

"Okay." She said as Lucas looked at Jamie.

"Whoa, what about me, Jamie?" Lucas said as he picked Jamie up.

"Bye uncle Lucas." Jamie said as he hugged him.

"Bye, buddy. I love you." Lucas said as he set him down.

"I got to go home now, and anyways, you should be writing." Jamie said as Skills laughed.

"I don't want to hear it." Lucas laughed as they left. As they were talking Mouth walked into his room and saw Lily was still quietly playing.

"Lily what are you playing?" Mouth asked as Lily turned and faced him. She was playing with some barbies that she had.

"House." Lily said as Mouth sat down on the floor.

"Can I play?" He asked as she smiled and sat down across from him.

"Yeah!" She said as she handed him a male barbie.

"Okay, who am I?" He asked.

"You're the daddy." She said with a smile.

"Oh so am I the head basketball coach at the high school." He said referring to what Lucas does.

"No." She said as she played with the mommy barbie.

"Oh, what do I do?" He asked.

"You run the towns car shop. You fix the cars." She said as she continued to play. Mouth looked at the doll in his hand and sighed quietly. It broke his heart that Lily was playing with the barbies as if they were Karen and Keith. Mouth played with Lily for a little longer and then Lucas walked into the room.

"Oh Mouth, we were wondering where you went." Lucas said as he looked at Lily. "Honey are you ready to go home?" He asked.

"Mhm." Lily said very tired. Since she was with Skills most of the day, she skipped her nap after lunch. He smiled and started to pack her toys up. He finished packing and then walked into the living room. Lily was saying goodbye to all her 'uncles.' She then walked to Lucas and he picked her up. He walked down to his car and by the time he got to the car she had fallen asleep in his arms. He put her in her seat and buckled her. He then got in and drove home. By the time they got to the house, she was awake again. They got inside the house and Lucas put her things by the the door.

"Sweetie, what do you want for dinner?" He asked.

"Ice cream!" She giggled.

"How about breakfast for dinner." He said as she nodded.

"Okay." She said as ran off to her room. He smiled and then started to cook as he cooked he got a text from Skills. He opened his phone and read the text aloud.

"Hey Luke, toady when I was hanging out with Lily, she really missed you. She actually started crying a little after you left. I comforted her, but it kind of hurt my feeling when you didn't really give her the time of day today. I can't even imagine how she felt." Lucas finished reading the text and then got one from Haley. It said about the same thing. He sighed and then walked to Lily's room. He leaned against the doorframe and watched her play. "Hey Lily, it's time to eat." He said as she put her toys down. She got up and ran past him and into the kitchen. He followed her and they sat down together and started to eat.

"Thank you!" She said as he finished cutting her pancakes.

"You're welcome." He said as he watched her. "Honey can I tell you something?" He asked as she nodded. "I'm sorry that I paid more attention to Jamie today." He said.

"But Jamie needs it." She said as he looked at her.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Daddy, Uncle Nathan isn't playing with Jamie like you play with me before I go to bed." She said. He looked at her and was very surprised.

"So you are telling me that you understand?" He asked.

"Mhm." She said as she ate. He smiled and then continued to eat.

"What were you and Uncle Mouth playing?" He asked.

"House." She said."Where's Lindsey?" She asked.

"She's in New York." He asked.

"Why?" She asked.

"She lives there." He said.

"Why?" She asked.

"Because that's her home." He said getting a little frustrated.

"But you love her." She said.

"That doesn't mean she would live here." He said.

"But Uncle Nafan loves Aunt Haley and they live together." She said as he pointed to her food. Lily often gets distracted at the dinner table and because of that dinner normally last an hour longer than it should.

"Uncle Nathan and Aunt Haley are married." He said as he smiled.

"Are Uncle Fergie, Uncle Junk, Uncle Mouth and Uncle Skills married?" She asked a little confused.

"No, why would you ask that?" He asked. He was a little confused.

"They all live together." She said.

"That doesn't mean they are married." He laughed. He was starting to understand why she asked the question. He finished eating and waited for her to finish. She finally finished and he got up from the table. He gave her a bath and then got her dressed in a pair of pjs. "So we have an hour before bed time, what do you want to do?" He asked with a smile.

"Can you read me a bed time story?" She asked as he laughed.

"Lils, I will read you them when it's bed time. It's not time to go to bed yet." He said with a smile. Lily was really bad at sleeping, so Lucas liked to keep her on a very regular time to lay down for bed. "How about we play a matching game?" He suggested as he grabbed a deck of cards from her toy chest. She nodded as he set up the game on the floor. They started playing and half way through he noticed that she was more tired than normal. "Do you wanna go to bed?" He asked.

"Uh huh." She said as she crawled into his lap. He smiled as he picked her up and laid her down in her bed. He laid down next to her as he read Curious George to her. The book had three books in it. He finished reading the three books and then tucked her in.

"I love you honey." He said as he kissed her on the cheek. He walked out of her room and then stopped at the door. He looked back at her and watched her. He sat down on the ground and watched her as she slept. As he did this Mouth called him. "Hey, what's up?" He said as he got up.

"Hey when I was playing with Lily, she said that she was playing house." Mouth said as Lucas gave a little feedback. "Well, she let me play, but I was playing as Keith." He said.

"Oh yeah?" Lucas said as he looked in Lily's room and then walked to lock the doors.

"Yeah I thought it was a little interesting. Have you talked to her about it lately?" Mouth asked. "Like does she know how he died?" He asked.

"No, I haven't talked about Dan at all, and I would appreciate it if no one talked to her about her." Lucas said as he Mouth agreed.

"Do you still blame yourself?" Mouth asked.

"About my mom?" Lucas asked.

"Yea." Mouth said.

"Yeah, I do." Lucas said. "If I hadn't shot the gun, my mom wouldn't have fainted." Lucas said.

"Luke, it's not your fault." Mouth said as Lucas disagreed.

"I have heard this all before." Lucas said. "I gotta go. I really need to start writing." He said as Mouth said goodbye. Lucas set his phone down and sat down at his computer. He couldn't think about anything to write so he decide to call it a night and went to bed.

 **Hope y'all like the chapter. I have decided on who Lucas will end up with, but it's going to be a surprise! :)**


	3. The Girl Behind the Red Door

It was the first day of school, which meant the first day of practice. Lucas woke up bright and early. Lily was still asleep and he decided to take advantage of this peace. He sat down at his computer and opened it. He looked at his blank computer screen. He couldn't think of a single thing to write. He could hear that Lily was awake now and was playing in her room. He got up and walked to her room.

"Hey honey, are you hungry?" He asked as she looked up from her toys.

"Mhm!" She said as she got up and ran to him.

"Do you want cereal?" He asked as he picked her up. She nodded and he walked into the kitchen with her. He set her down on the chair and he poured her a bowl of cheerios. They finished eating and Lily went to the living room while Lucas was in his room. Haley walked into his bedroom with Jamie.

"Hey Luke, can Jamie play with Lily today. I still haven't found a nanny." Haley said as Lucas got up.

"Of course!" Lucas said walking over to Jamie. "My man, how ya been?"

"Good, where's Lily?" Jamie asked.

"She is in the living room." Lucas answered as Jamie ran out.

"Thanks again Lucas." Haley started to leave and then turned around, "Did you hear who is back in Tree Hill?" She asked.

"No, who?" Lucas asked as he sat down at his computer.

"Peyton Sawyer. She is back, and plans on staying." Haley replied. She looked at Lucas who was completely shocked. Haley left and Lucas just sat at his computer. He had been typing for four hours. He was completely lost in writing. He started to read over what he had written and then deleted it. He stood up and went to find Jamie and Lily. They were in the living room watching TV. He smiled and sat in between them. They were watching SpongeBob Squarepants. He laughed at the adult humor in the show and both kids looked at him. They didn't understand what he was laughing at. After the episode finished he made them lunch.

"Who wants to go to the River Court?" Lucas asked the kids.

"I do!" Jamie said as his face lit up from excitement. Lucas smiled and looked at Lily. She wasn't as excited as Jamie. Although Lucas wasn't planning on pushing basketball on her, it still bothered him that she had zero interest in the sport. She got up from her seat and looked at Lucas.

"It will be fun sweetie. Just give it a chance." Lucas said with a smile. Lily crossed her arms and walked to her room. Although she was only four, she had already developed a very bad attitude. Lucas shook his head and looked at Jamie.

"So we aren't going?" He asked his uncle.

"We are still going. I'll go get Lily." Lucas said getting up. He thought about how Lily really needed a girl in her life other than her Aunt Haley. He opened her door and found her playing with her dolls. Lucas smiled to himself and leaned against the door. Lily looked up at him and then continued to play. "Lily. I know you don't want to go, but you can't be here by yourself. You can bring some toys if you want." Lucas said as he looked at the mess in her rooms. He is a little bit of a neat freak and it was driving him crazy.

"Fine." The little girl got off the ground and grabbed a bag. She put two of her dolls in it and walked out of her room. Lucas laughed as he followed her. They arrived at the River Court to find Skills there. Lucas grabbed a ball from his trunk and walked over with Jamie leading the way. Jamie loved to play basketball with his Uncle Lucas and Uncle Skills. They started playing right away. Lucas looked over to see Lily playing by herself. This worried him even more. Lily was completely happy playing by herself. Lucas saw that Lily was smiling so he went back to the game.

"Are you ready for practice today?" Skills asked as they stopped playing to get ready to leave. They left the ball on the court.

"Oh yeah, it will be so much fun." Lucas said sarcastically.

"But they're Ravens, and Ravens are the best!" Jamie said jumping off the bleachers. Skills and Lucas both laughed. They got to the car and Lucas realized that Lily wasn't with them. He ran back to the court and saw Lily with a basketball in her hands. He smiled and watched her try to dribble. She gave up and Lucas walked up to her. He got down on her level.

"Sweetie, it takes time." He said as he picked her up. He then gabbed her bag of toys and started kicking the basketball towards the car. Skills and Jamie were waiting by Lucas' car. Skills walked to the River Court and was hoping to get a ride with Lucas to the gym. They all got in the car and drove to the gym. It was almost time for practice and Skills ran into the locker room. Tree Hill High has a rule that at least one coach needs to be in the locker room when there are student in there. Lucas walked into the gym with his daughter and nephew by his sides. He walked them to the bleachers and had them sit there. Lucas walked off and Jamie started to talk about his Grandpa Dan. Lily had never heard of Dan before. This is because Lucas made all of his friends promise they wouldn't talk about Dan until he was ready to tell Lily about how her dad died. The players started to run out. Haley walked in on practice about 30 minutes later.

"Hey, pick it up, blue! Let's go!" Skills said as the players were falling behind.

"Hey, coach, you got a sec?" Haley said as she stood by Lucas on the sideline.

"That depends... are you gonna be one of those teachers constantly complaining about my players' grades?" Lucas said as he was focused on the teams.

"If your players are failing, you bet your ass I will." She replied. Lucas tilted his head while watching the players.

"Fair enough. Grades are the least of this team's worries." Lucas said as he watched yet another missed basketball.

"Oh, my God! Can't be serious." Skills said watching the team.

"How's Quentin? Is he still disrupting your class?" Lucas asked now focused on Haley.

"Actually, no. Quentin has not been in class all week, and I think it's because he got kicked off the team." Haley told Lucas trying to get a reaction out of him.

"You can't save 'em all, Hales... Oh God!" Lucas said blowing it off.

"I think your team looks really good." She said trying to encourage him.

"The J.V. is the team in white. In the blue... yeah, those are mine. We're a work in progress." Lucas said pointing at the team in blue practice jersey.

"Awkward. I'm gonna go now. Come on Jamie." She said as she waved for Jamie to follow.

"Haley, how's my little brother doing?" Lucas looked at his sister-in-law with a very concerned look on his face.

"He's a work in progress." Haley said as she grabbed Jamie's hand and they left.

"Finish!" Lucas yelled as he blew his whistle. He ran up to the team and told them to gather around "You guys lost 8 games last year by 3 points or less... 8. Now, does anyone know how many games you won by 3 points or less?"

"I do. Zero." Skills said looking at the guys who were all looking down.

"Oh, that's right... none. Now, maybe, if you guys could've hit a few free throws, maybe you could've made the Playoffs. So, this is how we're gonna start... fundamentals." Lucas continued to look at every player.

"See this spot? We're gonna start practice every day from this line right here. And any player who can't knock down three straight free throws in a row is gonna run... all day." Skills stood on the free throw line with a ball in his hand.

"Who wants to prove me wrong?" Lucas said as one player steps out for the challenge. He misses his shots.

"Go ahead and start running, superstar. Hey, and don't be high-fiving nobody, either." Skills said as he was shaking his head

"Who's next?" Lucas asked looking at his team. All the players lined up at different goals. Lucas walked over to Lily. She was playing with her dolls. He sat down next to her and she looked up at him.

"I have to go potty." Lily said as she stood up. Lucas took her hand and started to walk towards the door.

"Awww" All of the players including Skills said in unison as they watched the head coach walk with his precious little girl. Lucas turned around and all the guys got back to shooting. He walked with Lily to the bathroom and stood outside while she went. She walked back out and smiled at him. They walked back to the gym together but she was running around him. He opened the door to find his whole team running. Lucas' face turned to red with anger. He walked up to Skills who is on the sideline.

"Are you telling me not one of them made their free throws?" Lucas asked. He watched at Lily ran around the gym and then looked at his players.

"Let's just put it this way... we could have built a new gym with all them bricks. You know they're counting on us to turn this thing around, right? This season." Skills told him with a worried look on his face.

"They'll get better." Lucas said watching some of the players fall behind others.

"Yeah? If they don't, maybe we can start a track team." Skills said with a smile. He turned to the court and yelled "Come on! Keep going! Run, run, run! Pick it up!"

Lucas and Skills were done watching their team just run, so they ended practice. Lucas walked into the locker room to put some papers in his office. As he walked back to the gym he saw Lily trying to shoot. He stood by the door so she wouldn't see him. He started to ask himself why she only plays when he isn't watching. He looked at his watch and started to walk up to her.

"Are you ready?" He asked her as he grabbed her bag. She nodded and ran over to him. She grabbed his hand and they started to walk to the car.

"Daddy?" Lily said looking up at him.

"Hmm?" He answered as he looked down at her.

"When do I get to meet Grandpa Dan?" She asked and then started jumping around him. Lucas' face turned white. He wasn't ready to answer this question. They got in the car and drove home. It was a very silent ride. Lily didn't know what she did wrong but she knew Lucas was mad. As they got home there was someone sitting on their doorstep. Lucas parked the car and they got up. He didn't recognize the figure at first. He got closer and heard a voice.

"Lucas Scott!"

Lucas smiled as he saw her face. It was Brooke Davis. "Brooke!" Lucas said as he hugged her. "I heard you were back in town."

"Yeah Peyton and I both are." She said looking at him.

"Do you want to go get dinner?" He asked her as he saw Lily in the corner of his eye playing in the yard.

"Yes! I would love that." Brooke smiled and the saw Lily. Her eyes started to tear up. "Is that… She's so big."

"Lily come here!" He said as Brooke watched the little girl run up to Lucas. "I want you to meet someone." He said as he squatted down to Lily's level. Lily was a little shy and backed into Lucas. Lily knows most of Lucas' friends, but she didn't know Brooke. Brooke got down on her level. "This is my friend Brooke. You have met her before, but you were very little."

"Hi Lily." Brooke said as she stuck out her hand. Lily smiled at Brooke and shook her hand. She turned back to Lucas and put her arms around his neck. He picked her up and stood up. Brooke smiled as she stood up. "Luke she is precious."

"Thanks!" Lily said. Brooke smiled and the started to laugh. Lucas looked at Lily and she smiled at him. He rolled his eyes and then looked at Brooke.

"So dinner. Where do you want to go?" Lucas asked as Lily buried her face into his neck.

"Um, how about the café that is down the road?" She said as she smiled at him.

"Sure! Lily loves that place." He replied as he was rubbing Lily's back. They walked to Lucas' car and he put Lily in her car seat. Brooke got in and watched Lucas.

"She is still in a car seat?" She asked as Lucas got into the driver's seat.

"Yeah she has to be by law." Lucas replied. He drove to the restaurant and Brooke and Lucas got out. Brooke opened Lily's door and help her out. Lily was already warming up to her. Brooke was holding Lily's hand as they walked in. Lucas typically didn't take Lily out to eat because she is very wild in restaurants. They sat down at the table and Lily started to color on the kid's menu.

"So Luke, how have you been?" Brooke asked as she looked over the menu.

"I've been good. Busy with the Ravens, Lily, and helping Haley with Jamie and Nathan." He was pointed out to Lily what she was going to have. "What about you Miss Davis? How has New York been?"

"It's great. It is everything I have dreamed of." Brooke said as the waitress walked up. She took their drink orders and walked away.

"Then why move back to Tree Hill?" He asked as he set his menu down.

"Same reason you are here, it's home." She smiled as the waitress brought out their coffees and milk for Lily.

"What will you be having?" The waitress asked.

"Chicken fingers for her, and I'll have the burger with everything on it." Lucas said as he handed the waitress his menu.

"And for you honey?" The waitress asked as she looked at Brooke.

"I'll have a burger as well." Brooke replied. The waitress smiled and walked away.

"So what about Clothes Over Bros? Are you just going to give it away?" He asked. In the corner of his eye he could see Lily playing with her silverware. He grabbed it from her and set it on the other side of him. Brooke smiled a little bit. She couldn't believe how fatherly he was.

"No, I am going to start designing from here. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I went by Karen's Café today. I was wondering what you were going to be doing with the spot." She asked with a smile.

"Um, nothing right now. Why?" He asked.

"I wanted to buy it from you. I was hoping to turn it into a new clothing store." She said as she looked at Lily coloring. She smiled then looked at Lucas.

"That's a great idea Brooke! Of course you can." Lucas smiled at her, and then looked down. "So, how is Peyton?"

"She's good. What happened between you two anyways?" Brooke asked. She knew both of them to well and knew they were hiding something.

"Nothing." Lucas said. He thought back to when he visited her in LA. It was so different. They had grown a part. The waitress walked out with their food and they started to eat. Lily was playing with her French fries, which made Lucas annoyed.

"Lily, just eat your food." He said trying to remain calm. Lately Lucas has felt a lot more stress because of coaching, parenting and trying to help Haley. Brooke could see the tiredness on his face.

"Luke I have an idea." Brooke said as she finished chewing a bite of her burger. Lucas looked up at her and Brooke continued, "What if Lily comes with Peyton and I tomorrow to have a girl's day? I don't really know Lily that well, and it would be perfect." Lily heard Peyton's name. She loved Peyton. She had gotten really close to Peyton through the video chats Lucas had with her.

"That's a great idea. I have to start being at the school during the day anyway. It would be better than having a nanny." Lucas said looking at Lily who was playing with her food again. Lucas grabbed Lily's hand and gave her a look. She stopped playing and started to eat.

"Wow Luke, you really have this parenting thing down." Brooke said as she watched the little girl eat her food.

"Not really. I just read some books and talk to Haley about different things." Lucas said. The waitress brought the check to them and Lucas paid for Brooke.

"You didn't have to do that." Brooke said looking at him.

"I know. I wanted to." Lucas said. They got up and he left a tip on the table. They walked out to the car and drove back to Lucas' house. He smiled as Brooke left. She said she would be by to pick Lily up from the house around 7:30. Lucas walked inside with Lily. He took a deep breath and looked at her. He finished her bath and was tucking her in.

"Sweetie, who told you about Grandpa Dan?" He asked.

"Jamie. He said that Aunt Haley let him hang out with him." Lily said as she snuggled into her bed. Lucas looked at her and was shocked. He thought she might have heard one of the players mention his name, or seen something about him. Lucas sat on the floor and looked at her.

"I will tell you when you are older okay Sweetie?" Lucas looked at her and watched as she was trying to fall asleep. He could tell she was having a little bit of trouble. He started rubbing her back and she finally was asleep. He got up and walked out of the room. He went to his room and sat down at his computer. He started writing and the words just flowed out of him. He finished writing his thought and then got up. He could hear Lily making noise in her room. He walked in and found her still asleep but very hot. He didn't want to wake her so he carefully picked her up and carried her into his room. He laid her down on his bed so that he was able to keep an eye on her. After about an hour, he finished writing and laid down in bed. He was almost asleep when Lily snuggled next to him. He smiled and then fell asleep.


	4. A day with the girls

Lucas woke up at 5:15. He got out of bed with a smile on his face. When he got out of the shower he walked by Lily's room. He peaked his head in and saw that she was still sleeping. He walked to his room and put on a pair of jeans and a Tree Hill High Raven polo shirt. He went to make some coffee. Lily was up now and Lucas could hear her jumping on her bed. As he passed her room he yelled in, "Lily Scott, if you break that box spring, you'll be sleeping on the floor for the rest of your life." Lily sat down as he smiled. He remembers when his mom would tell him that. Lucas was reading the paper when Brooke and Peyton walked in.

"Hi Luke!" Peyton said as he stood up and hugged her.

"Hi Peyton." He smiled as he pulled away from the hug. "You two are here early. Lily isn't even ready." Lucas got up and started walking towards the Lily's room.

"I can help!" Brooke said walking past Lucas. He smiled and let them go help. He wasn't good at it anyways. He wasn't able to fix her hair. It was always really messy and half up half down. He sat down and started drafting plays for the team to learn.

"So Peyton, what are you doing back in Tree Hill? How's the job in LA?" Lucas asked as he looked up from his coffee.

"Actually, I don't have the job anymore." Peyton said looking at Lucas.

"What happened?" Lucas asked, as he grew worried.

"Hollywood stuff. I'm actually going to start my own label. Brooke gave me the idea." She replied.

"Where are you planning on putting it?" He asked.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could rent out an office space in TRIC?" She asked him thinking he was going to say no.

"Sure! We already have the equipment you would need." He replied with a smile.

"Thanks Luke!" She sat down and he went back to his drafting of plays. Lucas looked up when he hear Lily coming out of her room. She had her hair in braids and was wearing a pink dress. He smiled looking at her. She ran up to him and he picked her up and put her in his lap.

"So what do you two have plan for Lily today?" He asked looking at his friends.

"Well, we are going to get our nails done, go shopping, have lunch, and deal with my bitchy mother, and then bring Lily to the gym to see you." Brooke said. Lucas looked at Brooke and then moved his eyes back to Lily. "I mean my annoying mother. Sorry." She smiled and Peyton laughed a little. Lily jumped down from Lucas' lap and walked over to Peyton. She grabbed her hand and they started to leave.

"What is this? No goodbye kiss?" Lucas asked looking at his daughter. She ran back to him and gave him a hug. He kissed her forehead and the girls left.

Brooke drove to her new beach house. They got out of the car and walked inside. Lily was holding Peyton's hand when they got inside. "So baby Scott, what do you want to do first?" Brooke asked as she sat down on the couch. Lily looked at her and just stayed quiet. She doesn't normally spend a lot of time away from Lucas. Brooke looked at the sad little girl. "How about we go and get our nails done?"

"Brooke it is only 8 in the morning." Peyton said walking towards the couch. Lily ran over to Peyton and sat on her lap.

"What do you normally do right now Lily?" Brooke asked the little girl who was looking at her big brown eyes. Brooke could see Keith in her eyes.

"Daddy goes to the river court to see Uncle Skills." Lily said as both girls looked at each other.

"Do you like basketball?" Brooke asked and then smiled as the little girl made a face. "Guess that answered my question." The girls played hide and go seek until it was time to get their nails done. They arrived at the salon and Lily picked out pink. After they got their nails done it was time to hit the mall. Brooke was walking in and out of every store seeing what the latest designers have out. Peyton was walking behind Brooke and holding Lily's hand.

"Whose grandpa Dan?" Lily asked Peyton. This question made Brooke stop and turn around.

"He is just a man." Peyton said not knowing what to say. Brooke just watched as Peyton tried to dance around the question.

"How about we go get some lunch." Brooke said with a smile. She was trying very hard to change the topic. "And then ice cream!"

"YAY! Ice cream!" Lily jumped up and grabbed Brooke's hand. Lucas doesn't normally let her have ice cream because she gets so hyper. Brooke and Peyton smiled as they walked with the little girl to the food court. As they were sitting in the food court Brooke got a text from Lucas. She looked at Peyton and smiled.

"I win! I told you he would text before we ate." She said.

"What does it say?" Peyton asked as she looked her phone that didn't have any messages.

"It says, 'When you take Lily out to eat she will say she likes anything but she honestly only likes chicken or grilled cheese. Oh and I don't normally let her have soda. She only has it when she earns it. I'll see you and Peyton when you drop Lily off at the gym.'" Brooke read the text aloud and then looked at Peyton. Peyton shook her head and then got up from the table. She took Lily's hand and walked to the Chick-Fil-A line. She ordered two chicken salads and chicken nuggets. She also got three lemonades. Lily and Peyton walked back to the table and began to eat. Brooke smiled as she watched the little girl eat. Lily acted so much like Lucas. They finished eating and decided to spend the rest of their time with Lily at the park. They left the mall and drove to the park. Brooke and Peyton sat down on a bench while Lily joined other kids in a game.

"Peyton, What happened? What happened to you and Lucas? Before we both left you guys were going strong." Brooke looked at her best friend.

"We grew apart. It was hard saying goodbye when we would video chat. We stopped calling each other every night to tell each other about our days. We hadn't spoken in a year when he came to LA on a book tour." Peyton said as she watched Lily.

"How did you grow apart? We didn't. What happened at his book tour?" Brooke asked as she saw Lily run over to the swings.

"We stopped telling each other about the majors things that happened. Lily was starting to walk and talk so it took time away from our talks. Nathan and Haley's life was taking off and he was a big part in that. Him helping with Jamie and they helped with Lily." Peyton replied thinking she could have been a part of helping with Jamie and Lily.

"Maybe you will have that chance again. He obviously trusts you. He let us take Lily for the day." Brooke pointed out as she looked around for Lily and found her on the swings.

"Enough about me, how's the construction going on the new store." She asked looking at Brooke.

"It's going really well. Actually after we drop Lily off I was hoping that my best friend would love to come with me to help me out." Brooke asked as she looked at Peyton.

"Of course. When do plan on having your grand opening?" Peyton asked as she looked at her watch. It was almost time to get ice cream and then take Lily to the gym.

"This Saturday." Brooke answered as she stood up. Lily came over to them and they smiled and walked over to get some ice cream.

Skills was in the gym, while Lucas was still in his office. Skills was watching the players try to dunk and kept missing. He looked over his shoulder and saw Nathan Scott walking up.

"Nathan Scott... standing up and looking good." He said as he watched Nathan walk in on his crutches.

"How's it going?" Nathan asked as he smiled at him.

"You know... everybody expecting us to turn this thing around this season, so the pressure's on." Skills said watching another player miss a dunk.

"If anybody can do it, it's you and Lucas." Nathan said as he watched the players.

"True dat. But we ain't miracle workers." Skills said as he laughed. He ran back on the court to play defense. Lucas started walking up towards Nathan.

"Hey, little bro. You look great." He said as he smiled at him.

"Feel terrible. I just wanted to thank you for being there for Haley and Jamie." Nathan said as Lucas smiled at him.

"Don't worry about it. So, you here to teach these kids how to win a championship?" Lucas asked as they watched the players.

"I have an idea on where to start. You could put Quentin back on the team." Nathan replied.

"Haley put you up to this." Lucas said as he made a face.

"She's got a thing for lost causes. And I watched the kid play. He's really good." Nathan thought about how he was a lost cause.

"I'm not saying the kid doesn't have talent. The fact is, I don't have time to coach him or deal with his crap or teach him to play an unselfish game." Lucas said trying to point out that Quentin might be too far-gone.

"Okay. What if I did?" Nathan asked

"You're gonna come to practice? Every practice? Every day, five days a week?" Lucas asked.

"If that's what it takes."Nathan replied

"All right. I'll do it for you, but not for him. Welcome back, Nate." Lucas said as he smiled at him.

"Thanks, man." Nathan said as he turned to the bleachers and sat down.

"All right. Three-man weave. Line it up." Lucas yelled to the team.

Practice had been going for about 15 minutes when Brooke and Peyton arrived with Lily. Lucas looked over his shoulder and saw them wave bye to him. He nodded and watched as Lily ran over to Nathan.

'Uncle Nafan!" Lily said as she sat down next to him.

"Hey Lily!" He said as she smiled. They watched as practice continued. Lily was jumping off the bleachers like she always did when she was hyper. Lucas looked over and made an annoyed face at Nathan. "Lily how about you just sit down and be calm." Lily sat down by her uncle and she looked at him.

"Uncle Nafan, who's Grandpa Dan?" Lily asked. Nathan looked down at her and thought about the question and how to approach it. Haley, Nathan and Lucas all decided they would sit down Jamie and Lily at different times and discuss who Dan was. Jamie learned about who Dan was recently and Nathan figured that Jamie must have said something to Lily.

"How about you ask your daddy?" Nathan replied.

"I did. He told me he would tell me when I'm older." She was kicking her legs.

"Lily, if your dad told you something. You shouldn't be going behind his back." Nathan said in a very fatherly way. Lily got up and found a bag of her stuff that Lucas typically brought to keep her entertained. Lily grabbed a coloring book and crayons and laid on the gym floor. She was coloring and getting a lot of the crayons on the gym floor. Practice ended and Lucas walked up and saw that Lily was basically drawing on the floor.

"Lily Roe! What on earth are you doing?" Lucas yelled as he watched the little girl color on the gym floor. He picked her up off the ground as Nathan hobbled over to see what was going on.

"Come on Lily. Let's go stand over here." Nathan said as they stood a little away from Lucas. Nathan could tell that Lucas was furious.

Lucas ran to the bathroom and got a wet paper towel. He came back to the gym and sat on the floor where Lily had drawn. He started scrubbing at the marks and it wasn't coming up as easy as he thought it would. He put his hands on his face and rubbed it hard. He got up and looked at Lily. She knew she was in a lot of trouble when they got home. Lucas left the gym to find a janitor. He found one and explained what happened. The janitor informed him that this has happened before. Lucas calmed down because the janitor said it would come out. He walked back to the gym and grabbed Lily's bag that was on the bleachers. He walked over to Lily and Nathan.

"Dude, she didn't mean it. Don't be to hard on her." Nathan said as Lucas glared at him,

"Shut up." Lucas said as he grabbed Lily's hand. He walked out of the gym with Lily basically running after him. He was pulling her along with him. They got to the car and Lucas put Olivia in her car seat. She smiled up at him and he closed the door. It always hurt him when he was mad at her. He got in the car and drove home.

When they got home and Lucas took Lily inside. He put her in the 'time-out' corner and left the living room. He sat down at the kitchen table and thought about what he would say. He sighed and got up from the table. He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Lily, come here." Lucas said looking at the little girl in the corner. Lily walked over to him and he picked her up and put her on his lap. "Sweetie, why did you draw on the floor?" He asked as he looked in her eyes.

"I was just coloring." She said as she looked back into his eyes.

"I know, but why did you continued to color when you were getting it on the floor?" He asked. She looked down at the floor and picked her chin up to look at her.

"I don't know." She said. She looked very innocent at him. She didn't really understand what she did was wrong. "Are you going to spank me?" She asked, as she was about to cry.

Lucas took a deep breath in and let it out, "I should, but I'm not going to." He hugged his daughter and she started to cry.

"I didn't mean to" She kept saying over and over. Lucas was shushing her and rubbing her back.

"Lil it's okay. I'm not mad anymore." Lucas said. He was lying a little bit. He was still extremely mad about what happened, but he didn't want to show it. After about five minutes of holding Lily she finally stopped crying. Lucas looked at her and smiled. He knew deep down that she really didn't know not to do it. He kissed her on the cheek. He heard his phone go off and reached for it out of his pocket. He saw that Brooke was calling. He set Lily down and answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"LUKE!" Brooke screamed into the phone.

"Yea, what's up Brooke?" He asked.

"I need your help at my store on Friday. I'm telling you now so that you can make plans for your adorable little daughter. Who I love! She is such a good little girl." Brooke said as Lucas looked around the corner and saw Lily sitting on the couch. She had the throw blanket that sits on the couch wrapped around her.

"Yeah she is." He smiled then thought about where he could take Lily. "Yeah I will drop her off at Nathan and Haley's. The kids typically do a cousin sleepover at least twice a month." He walked into his room and Lily followed him. She tugged on his jeans and he looked down. "Hold on Brooke." He moved the phone away from his mouth. "Yes Lily?" Lily handed him a DVD of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. He smiled and walked into the living room. He used to watch this movie when he was her age. He put the movie in and wrapped her in a blanket and sat her on the couch. He walked back to his room. "Okay Brooke I'm back. Is that all you needed?"

"Yes! Thanks for agreeing to help me! I really need it! Just don't forget! Love you Luke! Bye." Brooke said and then hung up the phone. Lucas set his phone down and then walked into the living room. He sat down next to Lily who quickly crawled into his lap. He smiled as the little girl snuggled into his chest. He could hear her lightly breathing and he knew she was about to fall asleep. The movie was half way over and Lucas carefully took the sleeping girl off of his lap and moved her to the couch. He got up and went to the kitchen to make dinner. He wasn't really hungry so he decided on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was something easy and Lily loved them. He got out a package of carrots and cut them up for her. He walked back into the living room and found Lily awake and watching the movie.

"Here Sweetie." He said as he put the food on the coffee table. She looked up at him and smiled. She got up and sat down on the floor and he walked away to grab his computer. He found it and walked back. He was determined to find Lily something to do, other than be in a sweaty gym with a bunch of men in it. He was looking up classes that he could enroll her in. He came across art, dance, gymnastics, and basketball for kids. He ended up picking basketball on Tuesdays, dance on Wednesdays and Art on Thursdays. He then got back up and walked to get his phone. He sat down on his bed and called Nathan.

"Hello?" He heard the voice say.

"Hey Little Brother, I need a favor?" Lucas asked.

"Anything, man?" Nathan said as he smiled on the phone.

"Can Lily spend the night at your place this Friday? Brooke asked me to help her with something and I was hoping you would be able to take Lily for the night." He said hoping he and Haley didn't already have plans.

"Of course we can. Jamie just asked me when he was going to see her again anyways."

"Alright, thanks little bro. Night."

"Night." Nathan said and then hung up.

Lucas looked down at Lily and smiled. She was eating carrots while the movie was playing. He watched the movie and once it finished he picked Lily up. He took her to the bathroom and gave her a bath. He got her ready for bed and tucked her in. He kissed her goodnight and went to his room. He laid on his bed and thought about Friday.


	5. Missing You

"Knock, knock." Mouth said as he opened Lucas' door. It was about seven in the morning. Lucas had been up for an hour and Lily had just woken up. Lucas looked up from his computer with a smile. Mouth and Skills then walked in.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Lucas asked.

"We wanna hang out." Skills said as Lucas smiled.

"Well, guys I actually can't. I need to go to TRIC and work a few things out."

"With Lily." Mouth said as Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Aw, where are you gonna take her?" Lucas asked as they could hear Lily playing in the hallway.

"Well I want to take her swimming." Skills said.

"And I want to do something educational with her. I want to go to the zoo with her." Mouth said. Lucas smiled as he listened to his friends.

"So which one is it gonna be?" Lucas asked.

"We can't decide. We are both her godfathers, so neither one of us can play the godfather card." Mouth said as Lucas laughed.

"Yeah dawg, did you make us both her godfathers as a joke." Skill said as Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You really want to know why I chose you two?" Lucas asked as they both nodded. "You two are my best friends. You guys helped me through a lot. I could never have chosen between either of you." He said as Lily ran into his room.

"Uncle Mouth!" Lily yelled as Marvin smiled. He got down on Lily's level and picked her up.

"Obviously Lily can choose between us." Skills said under his breath as Lucas laughed.

"And how is the prettiest little princess doing today?" Mouth asked as Lily giggled.

"Good." She said.

"How did you sleep?" Mouth asked.

"Good." She said as he smiled.

"Do you want to go to the zoo today?" Mouth asked as Skills looked at him.

"Or do you wanna go to the pool?" Skills suggested. Mouth set down Lily and she looked at both of her uncles and then at her dad.

"Or you can stay with daddy." Lucas said as Lily walked to him and he picked her up. He then set her down on his leg. She then looked at her uncles who were pointing at themselves. She then looked at Lucas who was pointing at himself. Lily continued to look at them and then got upset. She got down from Lucas' leg and ran to her room. Lucas looked at his friends and then got up and followed Lily. He walked into her room and she was crying a little. He sat down next to her and rubbed her back. "Baby, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I…don't…want to…choose." She cried as he sighed. He didn't realize that he was pushing her. He pulled her into his lap and wiped her tears.

"Well, we aren't making you choose one." He said. "Uncle Mouth, and Uncle Skills aren't going to be mad at you for choosing one over the other." He said as she nodded. "So which do you want to?" He asked.

"I wanna go to the zoo with uncle Mouth." She said as he smiled.

"Then that's what you can do today. Uncle Mouth and uncle Skills will take you to the zoo and after that, they can drop you off at the high school." He said. "How does that sound?"

"Good." She said with a smile. She got down and ran out the door. She then ran back to her room. "Daddy, where's Lindsey?" She asked as he looked at her. He smiled. He loved how much Lily loved his girlfriend.

"Honey, she's still in New York." He said as she frowned.

"Do you miss her?" He asked as he got up.

"Mhm, Lindsey takes me places." She said as he grabbed her.

"Hey, little lady, I take you places to." He said as he kissed her cheek.

"The gym doesn't count." She giggled as he rolled his eyes. He tickled her as he set her down. He then got her ready for the zoo. He pulled out his phone and called Lindsey.

"Hi Luke!" Lindsey said as he smiled.

"Hi Lindsey." He said as he looked down at Lily. "There's someone here that misses you." He said as he got down on the floor. He then handed the phone to Lily.

"Hiya!" Lily said into the phone.

"Hi Lily!" Lindsey said with a huge smile. "I heard you miss me?" She said as Lucas chuckled and walked out of the room.

"Mhm." Lily said as Lindsey laughed.

"Well I'll be back late on Sunday. We can play all day Monday. How does that sound?" Lindsey asked.

"Good!" Lily said.

"Can you give the phone back to your daddy?" Lindsey asked as Lily walked to find Lucas. She found him talking to Mouth and Skills. She then handed the phone to him and he walked out of the room.

"So Lily we are going to go to the zoo and have a picnic." Skills said as Lily smiled at them. Lucas walked back into the room. He had just gotten in another fight again. He sighed as he put his phone in his pocket and then looked at his friends.

"So, you guys are going to the zoo." Lucas said as Mouth looked at Lucas. He could tell there were some things going on.

"Yeah." Skills said as he picked Lily up.

"Have fun." Lucas said as they all said goodbye. Skills and Mouth walked out to the car and Skills put Lily in the back seat.

"Uncle Skills." Lily said as Skills got in the car.

"Yes princess?" Skills said.

"Why don't I have a fancy seat like in Daddy's car?" She asked.

"Because your daddy babies you." Skills said as Mouth hit him.

"Because he cares about you." Mouth said as he drove to the zoo.

"When am I gonna meet Grandpa Dan?" She asked.

"Lily, we have told you we don't know." Mouth said.

"Who is he?" She asked. "Is he my grandpa?"

"Lily, stop." Mouth said as she made a face. Skills saw it and started to laugh. Mouth looked at him. "You're encouraging her." He said as Skills shook his head.

"Mouth, we are supposed to be the fun ones." Skills laughed as Mouth parked. They got out and helped Lily out. She was wearing a pink dress with white sandals and a pink headband. Lily was holding Mouth's hand as they walked into the zoo. They walked inside and Skills saw that they had wagons. He looked at Mouth who was shaking his head. "Lily wanna ride in a wagon?" He asked.

"That's for babies." She giggled as Skills rolled his eyes.

"Oh my bad Miss Princess." Skills said as Mouth smiled. The guys walked around for a while showing Lily the different animals. Mouth made it educational by telling Lily a little bit about each animal. Skills found this a little boring. After they had finished lunch, they started walking around again. They were by the flamingo exhibit when two college girls that were there distracted them.

"So you are seniors at Tree Hill College?" Skills asked.

"Yeah." Katie replied.

"We are both education majors too!" Allie said, as she smiled at Lily.

"So, what are you doing later tonight?" Skills asked as he and Mouth followed them. As they followed them Lily had her back to them and the boys left her. Skills and Mouth walked the girls to the exit and smiled as they got their numbers. They then turned to each other.

"Alright, Lily ready to go get a snow cone and then to the gym?" Mouth said as he turned around and saw that Lily wasn't behind him. "Where's Lily?" He asked.

"I thought you had her?" Skills said.

"I thought you had her." Mouth said back as they both started to panic.

"Lucas is going to be so mad." Skills said as the boys walked around to try and find her.

"No, he won't." Mouth said as Skills looked at him. "He will kill us. He won't have anyone to be mad at." He said as Skills shook his head. They continued to look around and then split up. Mouth went and looked at all the main exhibits while Skills went to the last five exhibits they went to. They decided that they would meet at the flamingo exhibit. After twenty minutes of both boys running around yelling Lily, they met up at the exhibit. They were about to find an officer when Mouth saw Lily still looking at all the flamingos. He sighed with relief as they both walked up to her. "Thank god Lily." He said as she turned around and looked at them.

"Honey, we are so sorry we left you." Skills said, as Lily looked confused.

"You left me?" She asked with the biggest eyes. Both boys felt terrible.

"Yeah, we're sorry." Mouth said as he picked her up and started walking with her.

"Let's not tell daddy about this. Okay?" Skills said as Lily nodded.

Lucas had the biggest smile on his face. Mouth and Skills had picked Lily up and was spending the day with her until it was time for practice. Lucas was sitting in his office looking at a picture of him and Brooke back in high school. He thought about the times they have shared. He smiled thinking about the shot he made and the conversation he had with Rachel.

 _Lucas was sitting on the bench at the river court thinking. He had just walked in on Brooke and Chris Keller's on a date._

 _"I can't believe she's doing thins." Lucas said as he looked at Rachel. She immediately rolled her eyes._

 _"So she's on a date with Chris. It doesn't mean anything." Rachel said._

 _"No, it does!" He said quickly. "This guy's caused a lot of trouble. Brooke knows that." He said as he squeezed the basketball in his hands._

 _"Okay, so, what is the deal with you and Brooke anyway?" She asked._

 _"She's just not ready to commit." He said as he shrugged._

 _"Right, that's usually what I tell guys I'm not really in to." She said with a classic smile._

 _"And she wants to make sure I'm serious about her, you know?" He laughed and then got serious. "Plus…" He started to say._

 _"Plus, what?" She asked._

 _"She's the 'one.'" He said with out hesitation._

 _"Why?" She asked. He looked down and clicked his lip._

 _"She just is. I feel it. You know, Pascal says: 'the heart has reasons that reason cannot know.'" He said as she looked at him._

 _"What did Pascal say about Chris Keller?" She asked as he looked away, clearly annoyed. "Sorry, cheap shot." She said as she stood up and walked towards the goal. "Okay, here's the gig: you miss a shot, and you drink." She said as he stood up on the bench and threw the ball. "You make a shot-" She started to say as the ball went through the hoop. He looked at her and waited for her to say something, "I drink." She said as she opened the can. "Ok, this was a bad idea." They continue to play the game until all the beer is gone. Lucas shoots the ball through the hoop and Rachel catches it. Well, that's the last of it. Nice shooting, Tex." She said as he holds his arms out._

 _"So are we gonna call it a night?" He asked._

 _"Or we could play a new game." She smirked. "How 'bout strip basketball?" She said as she walked towards him._

 _"You know, I always figured if I met the devil, she'd be hot and holding the basketball." He said as he leaned forward. "But, I'm gonna pass."_

 _"Because of Brooke?" She asked knowing the answer was yes. "Who's on a date!" She said as he looked away. She then stops in front of him. Ok. Take your shirt off." She said as he squinted at her._

 _"Rachel." He said._

 _"I'm not gonna touch you, you sissy-virgin-boy! I'm trying to make a point. Take your shirt off." She said. He scoffed disbelievingly and then shakes his head. He then takes his shirt off. She tosses the ball at him and he catches it._

 _"Alright, you say Brooke's the one; your soul mate." She said as she walks behind him and takes his shirt from him. "Well, if that's the case…call upon destiny or…providence…or whatever forces are gonna bring you two together." She says as Lucas looks away and laughs. "And make the shot." She said and then paused as she covered his eyes with the shirt. "Blindfolded."_

 _"This is ridiculous." He laughed._

 _"Come on! It's your destiny. You can't miss." She said as she stood in front of him. "Ok, can you see me?" She asked._

 _"No." He replied as she started to dance a very embarrassing dance. He doesn't move._

 _"Ok, I trust you. Now follow my voice. Brooke's the 'one' make the shot." She said as she walked backwards to the goal. He takes his time and bounces the ball once. He then aims, shoots and the ball goes in."Wh-what happened?" He asked as he pulled off the blindfold._

 _"It went in." She said._

Lucas was broken from his trance when he heard a knock at his office door. It was Quentin at the door. "You wanted to see me?"

"Close the door." Lucas said as he placed the picture back down on the desk.

"Let me guess, huh? You want me back, right?" Quentin makes himself comfortable in the chair across from Lucas and put his feet on the desk.

"Take your feet off my desk." Lucas said in a very stern voice.

"Oh, man, I get it. Local boy becomes coach, feels pressure to win big, needs a star player to make it happen. Yeah, I guess I could help you out." Quentin smirked as he took the coach as a joke.

"Let me tell you how it's gonna go." Lucas said as he leaned in on the conversation. He continued to talk very sternly. "I'm the coach. You do what I say, and I do not ask you twice. For instance, there's the matter of your feet on my desk." Lucas says as he looks at the feet on the desk. Quentin takes his feet off the desk. "I'm building a team. You play your part and do as I say or you are gone. Just so we're clear."

"Look, we both know I'm the best shooting guard in the state, so why don't we just cut the crap, huh? I'm not playing no zone defense. Matter of fact, I might not play no defense at all. And on offense, I need my minutes, so Ima play when I want and Ima sit when I want. And that weak-ass point guard? Find somebody that's gonna feed me the ball, man. You do that, you can stand on the sideline, hold your little clipboard, and watch me work. And when we win, I might even let you take the credit. Quentin gets up and starts to head out. He turns back around and looks at Lucas. "Oh, you can call me "Q," coach. I like you, man, but, uh, that's how it's gonna go. Just so we're clear." He walked out of the office. Lucas watched as he left and he shook his head.

Skills walked into the gym with Lily. It was about thirty minutes before practice was going to start. Skills grabbed a ball and started to shoot. Lily was running after his ball for him like she does for Lucas. When she would get the ball instead of throwing it to him, she would run up and hand him the ball.

"So when your dad ask how the zoo was, what are you going to say?" Skills asked as Lily thought about what Mouth and Skills told her to say.

"Uh…the zoo was really fun. I saw tigers, and lions, and bears, and penguins and otters. Oh and uncle Skills and uncle Mouth lost me." Lily said as Skills' eyes got big.

"No, no, no." He said as she smiled. He smiled at her cute cheeky smile.

"I get in trouble when I lie." She said as Skills set down the ball and walked over to her. He grabbed her hand and they walked to the bleachers. He sat down and set her on his lap.

"It isn't lying unless he ask." He told her, as she looked a little confused. "Unless your dad ask if Mouth and I lost you, you don't have to say anything." He said as she nodded.

"Okay!" She said with a smile. "Can I play now?" She asked as he nodded. She got down and started playing on the bleachers. Skills looked over at her and sighed. He knew that he had to tell Lucas. One by one players started showing up to practice. Nathan walked into the gym alone. Jamie was with his nanny at home. He walked up to Lily with a smile. He was still on crutches but doing a lot better. He sat down and Lily ran up to him and sat down.

"Hi uncle Nafan!" She said as he smiled.

"Hi Lils, how was the zoo?" Nathan asked as Skills looked over at them.

"It was fun." She said as Nathan nodded.

"What was your favorite animal?" He asked.

"I liked the pink birds." She said as she tried to remember the name of the animal.

"You mean the flamingos?" He said as she nodded. He smiled as Lucas walked into the gym. Lily continued to talk to Nathan as Lucas walked up to them.

"Lily!" Lucas said as she continued to play. He picked her up and hugged her. "I missed you!" He said as he kissed her cheek. She smiled and he laughed.

"Did you have fun?" Lucas asked.

"Mhm!" She said as he smiled.

"What was your favorite animal?" He asked as Lily looked at Nathan.

"Flamingos?" She said as Nathan nodded.

"Did you like them because they were pink?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah and I spent forever there." She said, as Lucas looked a little confused. He nodded and the guys started practice. As the team was playing shirts versus skins, Lucas and Skills were talking. "Hey so Lily said she spent a lot of her time at the flamingos. Do you think it's her new favorite animal?" He asked.

"Uh, I don't really know." Skills said as he looked down. "Listen, Luke. I need to tell you something." He said as he looked at him. "We lost Lily today." He said as Lucas looked at him.

"What do you mean you lost her?" Lucas asked.

"We walked away from her. When we were at the flamingos, we met some girls and walked off with them." Skills said as Lucas was looking at him annoyed. "When we noticed she wasn't with us, we searched the whole zoo. We found her right where we left her." He said as he sighed. "Luke, I'm sorry. I really am. You trusted us, and we let you down." He said as Lucas tried to keep calm.

"I'm mad because you didn't tell me when it happened." Lucas said. "I'm not mad that it happened, well I am a little. But, I've done it. I've walked away from her before, thinking she was right behind me. Luckily nothing happened." He said biting his tongue. He could see the hurt on Skills face. He looked over at Lily who was playing. Nathan had been listening to them the whole thing. He walked away and let them talk. Practice finished and Lucas handed Nathan a bag of Lily's things. "Have fun tonight." He said as he smiled at his little brother.

"You too." Nathan said, as he stood upright without crutches.

"Hey, are you going tomorrow night? To the opening?" Lucas asked.

"Of course wouldn't miss it for the world. Haley said that Carrie will babysit tomorrow night." He said as he left the gym.

"Lucas went back to his office and grabbed his bag. He walked out to his car and drove to Brooke's store. He parked and got out of his car. He walked inside and saw Brooke running around the store trying to get it ready for the grand opening. He walked over and stood by Mouth. They were catching up when Brooke interrupted everyone. She ordered everyone to help set up displays. The group has been working on the store for about four hours when Millicent arrives with pizzas.

"All right, guys. Come and get it. Now, words cannot express how much I appreciate you all being here on a Friday night doing manual labor, so I'm just gonna say this... do not get food on the clothes. Millicent will be distributing hand wipes... use them. Break's over in 20 minutes, and I love you all." Brooke said as she quickly ran to the back of the store.

"It's good to see that success and fame hasn't changed her." Lucas said as he watched Brooke ran around like a chicken with her head cut off.

"No really it hasn't, you should have seen her at cheer camp." Peyton said as she handed Lucas a plate with pizza on it.

"Hey, how's the new band going? " He asked as he took a bite of his pizza.

"I thought it was gonna be all good times and groovy tunes, and nobody warned me about obnoxious, self-righteous musicians." She smiled at him.

"You've always been capable of a lot more than you've given yourself credit for." He smiled as Peyton rolled her eyes.

"How's the writing coming?" She asked as he nodded.

"Actually, a lot better than expected. Something trigged in my head an I just started writing." He said as she smiled.

Nathan and Haley had just finished cleaning up the kitchen and walked outside to the backyard to see what the kids were doing. Jamie was playing with his basketball goal and Lily was sitting in the ground playing with a flower. Nathan smiled at Jamie and walked over to Lily. "Hey sweetie, what are you doing over here?" Nathan asked as Lily looked up at her uncle. She had tears rolling down her cheeks. Nathan quickly got down on the ground and picked her up. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"I want my daddy." Lily said as Nathan looked over at Haley. Haley sighed and walked over to them.

"Lily, your dad will be here tomorrow." Haley said as Nathan nodded. Lily looked at them and smiled.

"Lily do you want to go on a bike ride?" Nathan asked as he helped her off the grass. Lucas and Haley had both bought bikes for both kids when they moved back to Tree Hill.

"No fanks Uncle Nafan." Lily replied as he got down on his knee to be able to look her in the eyes.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I don't know how." She said as he sighed. He had recently taught Jamie to ride his bike and it was really rewarding, so he didn't want to take it away from Lucas.

"Well, what about a huge blanket fort and a movie?" Nathan suggested.

"Yeah!" Jamie cheered as Lily agreed. Both adults smiled and walked inside with the kids. Nathan starting building a fort out of blankets while Haley put the kids in pajamas. Lily and Jamie came running down the stairs. Jamie was in a basketball pj set and Lily was wearing a ladybug one. Nathan had a movie set up in the fort for the kids. Both kids got in and Nathan started to movie. As Nathan, Jamie and Lily watched Robin Hood, Haley was cleaning up the house. Haley walked into the living room and looked in the fort. Nathan was asleep with Jamie on one side and Lily on the other. Both kids had also fallen asleep.

The store was coming along great. Brooke and her friends had made a lot of progress on it. Lucas and Peyton were cleaning the windows and talking.

"So why do you think Brooke came back?" Lucas asked as Peyton giggled. "What?" He asked.

"Nothing, and I think she just being home." Peyton said. "I can relate. Living in a big city after living in this town is really hard." She said as they continued to clean. "How is everything with Lily? She seems to be really interested in Dan. How did that get started?" She asked.

"Uh…Jamie found out about Dan and told Lily about him." He said. "I don't know what to tell her. Grandpa Dan is my dad and the reason you will never meet your real parents." He said as she shook his head. He then looked over at Brooke and smiled. She was still dictating what others should be doing.

"So tell me about Lily." She said as Lucas chuckled to himself.

"She's fun." He said as he thought about her. "She loves drawing and coloring. She had this cute little nose that she scrunches up when she is thinking. She uh…she loves to read. She loves anything pink." He said as he smiled. "But, she doesn't like basketball, or well I think she likes it but doesn't want to show it. When it is just us at the river court she will run after my ball and give it to me. Sometimes I'll try to get her to shoot, she loses interest. So, I put her in basketball." He said as Peyton shook her head.

"You can't force it on her Luke. She will either like it or not like it." She said as he nodded.

"I know. I just wished she would like to play." He said.

"Like Jamie likes the sport?" She asked as he looked at her and realized she was right.

"Wow, I didn't even think about that." He said as Brooke walked over to them.

"How are you two doing?" Brooke asked as they smiled at her.

"Good." He said as Peyton smiled. Brooke smiled.

"Well, I think everything is pretty much done. It will just be some final touches later today." Brooke said as Lucas looked at her. He then looked at his watch.

"It's already six in the morning." He said. "I told Nate and Hales I would pick Lily up at ten. I only have fours hours to sleep." He laughed. "That's gonna be fun."

"Well go, go." Brooke said with a smirk. "I will use you later." She said as he laughed. Lucas smiled and left. Brooke and Peyton watched him leave. Peyton then turned to him.

"You so love him." Peyton said with a smile.

"Shut up." Brooke said as she tried to hide her smile. She then walked away. Peyton smirked.

"This is gonna be interesting." Peyton said as she crossed her arms.

Hope you enjoy this new chapter! Let me know! –M


	6. He's the one I would give it up for

Lucas woke up and rubbed his eyes. He didn't get much sleep and was pretty exhausted. He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He had told Nathan and Haley that he would pick Lily up around 10. He yawned and then looked at his phone it was almost one. There was a message from Nathan on his phone. 'Luke, we figured Brooke probably had you work all through the night so don't worry about Lily. She's fine. We are gonna just have a relaxing day at the pool before we have to cover it for weather. Come by the house whenever. Carrie will be over around five so that Haley and I can have a nice dinner out.' Lucas put down his phone and splashed water in his face. He started getting ready while eating a bowl of cereal. He finished getting ready and then headed to his brother's house. He pulled into the driveway and got out. He walked in the house and saw Nathan and Haley sitting on the couch.

"Hey, he's alive." Nathan joked as Lucas smirked.

"Thanks so much for watching Lily. I thought I set my alarm when I got home, but I guess I didn't." Lucas said as Haley smiled.

"Anytime, we love having Lily here." Haley said as Lucas sat down.

"So, where are the kids?" Lucas asked as he looked around.

"Napping." Nathan said as Lucas nodded.

"Oh yeah I guess Lily probably didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Lucas said as Nathan and Haley both looked down. Lucas had been having trouble with Lily sleeping at a different house for a while.

"Actually…she slept all night." Nathan said as Haley nodded.

"Yeah, Nathan built a blanket fort and all three kids slept in it." She said as Lucas looked at them.

"Three?" Lucas asked and then looked at Nathan. "Ohhhh."

"If you want, Lily can just stay here the rest of the day. We can have a snack and enjoy the weather and then you can leave to get ready." She said as Lucas shook his head.

"I actually got a sitter for Lily tonight…" Lucas said a little awkwardly. He didn't really like Carrie watching his daughter. There was something just a little off about her.

"We told you that Carrie would sit Lily." She said as he sighed.

"I know, but…" Lucas said as Nathan cut him off.

"The kids don't see each at all. They love being together and are never together anymore." Nathan said as Lucas sighed again. "They spent the first four years of their lives together. It is just really different for them."

"Next time, I promise." Lucas said as Nathan and Haley sighed but agreed. Lucas walked to the bathroom while Lily walked down the stairs carrying her blanket.

"Uncle Nafan." Lily said as Nathan smiled and got up. He loved hearing Lily call him uncle almost as much as he loves being her uncle.

"Yes princess?" Nathan said as he picked her up. She had just woken up and was still half asleep.

"When's my daddy coming?" She asked as Nathan walked to the couch and sat down.

"Didn't Aunt Haley tell you?" Nathan said with a smile as she looked up at him. "Your daddy is gonna let you stay here forever." He said with a laugh while Lily started to cry. "Wait wait wait…Lils. I was kidding. Don't cry." He said as Lucas walked out of the bathroom and saw Lily crying. He walked over to her and took her from Nathan's lap.

"Lily what's wrong?" Lucas asked as Lily wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I might have told her that she was staying here for ever." Nathan said as Lucas and Haley both glared at Nathan.

"Way to go Uncle Nathan." Lucas said as he rubbed Lily's back. Haley handed Lucas Lily's bag. Lucas put it on his shoulder and started walking to the door. "See y'all later tonight." He said as he walked out to his car. He put Lily in her seat and then started to drive home. "Did you have fun?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Lily said as she looked out the window. "Where's Lindsey?" She asked as he smiled.

"Lindsey will be here tomorrow." He said as drove.

"Oh." She said, as it got quiet. It had been quiet for almost five minutes and Lily decided to break it. "Daddy?"

"Mhm?" He said as he looked at her in the rear view mirror.

"I wanna ride my bike." She said as he nodded his head.

"Well, do you wanna learn before I have to get ready?" He asked as he turned down their street.

"Can Lindsey help?" She asked as she chuckled.

"Well sure. How about we go to the park tomorrow." He said as he pulled into the garage.

"Okay!" She said as he got out of the car and helped her out. The two walked inside and Lily went to her room to play. Lucas smiled as he walked into his room to clean up. He was putting his socks away and saw the ring he was planning on giving to Lindsey. He grabbed it and sat down on the bed and looked at it. There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him not to do it. He continued to look at it and could hear Lily playing in her room. He got up put the ring back in his drawer. He walked out of his room and into Lily's.

"What are you playing?" He asked as she looked up at him.

"Nothing." She said as he walked over to her.

"Can I talk to you?" He asked as she nodded and he picked her up. He walked over to her bed and sat down her on his leg.

"Am I in trouble?" She asked as he looked at her.

"No." He laughed as he moved her hair from her face. "So I have a question for you." He said as she smiled up at him. He smiled back then continued talking. "So I'm gonna ask Lindsey to marry me. How does that make you feel?" He asked.

"What does that mean?" She asked as he thought about how to explain it.

"Well honey, basically Lindsey and I would have a really big party and we would tell each other how much we loved each other in front of everyone. After the party Lindsey would move in here." He said as he smiled at her.

"But I thought you said that Lindsey wouldn't live here just because you love her." She said as he chuckled.

"Well, now I want to invite Lindsey to live with us. You know how Aunt Haley and Uncle Nathan live together because they are married?" He asked as she nodded. "That's what I want with Lindsey." He said as she nodded again. "Is that something that you want?" He asked.

"I like Lindsey." She said with a big smile. She started to kick her legs.

"Well how do you feel about Lindsey being my wife?" He asked as she continued to kick her legs. He placed his hands on her legs to make her stop kicking. "Sweetie what do you think?" He asked as she looked up at him.

"I like Lindsey. She is nice to me." She said as he smiled. He pushed the hair out of her face and she smiled at him.

"Do you wanna play a game with me?" He asked as she jumped off his lap and ran into the living room. He smiled and got up. "I'll take that as a yes." He walked into the living room and saw a bunch of games that Lily had already taken out. "Lils, this is too many games." He said as she looked at him. He sat down and picked up Candy Land. "We can play this." He said as she nodded and then sat down in his lap. He started to set it up and his phone rang. He looked at it and sighed. It was the high school. He got up and walked to his room. "Hello?" He said into the phone.

"Hey Coach Scott." The athletic director said into the phone.

"Hey Matt what's up." Lucas said.

"Well, there are a lot of guys waiting outside of the gym for open gym. I checked the schedule and it says you will be in the gym from 3-6. Are you still coming?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah I am so sorry. I will be right there." Lucas said as he looked at his watch.

"Thanks." Matt said as he hung up the phone. Lucas sighed and then walked into the living room and looked at Lily.

"Hey Sweetie…" Lucas said as Lily looked up at him. "We are gonna go to the gym. Is that okay?" He asked. She nodded. She didn't care where she went with Lucas; she just liked to be with him. She got up and ran over to him. He smiled and picked her up. As he walked out of the house he grabbed a snack for her. He walked to the car and put her in her seat. He started driving to the school. "I can drop you off with uncle Nathan and aunt Haley?" He asked.

"Noooooo, I wanna stay wif you." She said as he smiled. He continued to drive and pulled into the school parking lot.

"So, I have to make sure that none of my players get into a fight during open gym, but we won't be here to long." He said as he got out. He walked to her door and opened it. "I can teach you to dribble though." He said as she squished her nose. He smiled and laughed to himself. Lily got out of the car and reached up for Lucas to pick her up. He sighed and picked her up. He walked into the gym and most of his players were already in the gym practicing. He continued walking to his office. He opened the door and set Lily down. She immediately ran to his chair and started spinning in it. He smiled and then turned on the light. He got some of his things organized and then grabbed a kid size ball that he had keeps in his office for Jamie. "Ready to go to the gym?" He asked as she nodded and got off of his chair. She walked over to him and reached up for his hand. He smiled as he took her hand.

"Daddy when is Lindsey gonna be here?" She asked as they walked into the hallway.

"Well, when we get home, you are gonna play with the babysitter and then it will be time for bed. But, when you wake up, Lindsey will be here." He said as she smiled really big. "Are you excited?" He asked with a laugh.

"Mhm! I love Lindsey!" She said as he opened the gym door. She walked in and he followed her. There were already a lot his team practicing. He sat down on the bleachers. Lily went to the open area by the door. Lucas watched her from the corner of his eye. He was focusing more on the players playing a pickup game. He was making notes when Lily walked up to him. "Can I play with the ball?" She asked as he smiled.

"Sure." He said as he handed it to her. "I can help you if you want." He said. She looked at him and shook her head. He continued taking notes and then stood up to help some the freshmen with the plays they were working on. He had been helping them for a while and then heard a banging noise followed by a very familiar cry. He turned to see Lily lying on the floor while most of the varsity boys were trying to help her up. Lucas ran over to the guys and picked Lily up. "What happened?" He asked as he looked at his players.

"Well, we just finished playing and we looked over at Lily because we noticed she was doing something. She was trying to stand on the basketball." John said.

"We told her she probably shouldn't do it because it isn't safe and before we finished. She fell." Robert said as Lucas nodded his head. He walked over to the bleachers and sat down with Lily on his lap. He was checking to see if she had any cuts or bruises.

"Cutie, where does it hurt?" He asked as she pointed to her elbow. He looked at it and then kissed it. "I think you'll be okay." He said as he kissed her cheek. He then wiped the rest of her tears away. He picked up his clipboard again and continued to take notes. He was very used to working with Lily sitting on his lap. It was almost easier for him to have her sitting there. They sat there for another hour and it was time for open gym to be over. As the players left most were saying goodbye to Lily instead of Lucas. After the last player left Lucas cleaned up then gym and then locked it up. They walked out to his car and got in. They drove home and then got out.

"Can we play outside?" She asked as he helped her out of the car. He checked his watch and sighed.

"I need to take a shower, get dressed, make you dinner and give you a bath all before 8." He said as he held her hand as they walked inside.

"What time is it?" She asked. He smiled and got down on one knee. He then wrapped his arm around her body and held out his arm with the watch on it.

"See the small line?" He asked as he pointed to it. She then nodded. "Well that hand points to the hour while the big line points to the minute." He said.

"What about the other long line?" She asked.

"It's the seconds hand. It helps me keep time of the seconds." He said as smiled. "So right now it is 6:20." He said as he got up. "We left the school at 6:10, and we live about ten minutes away." He said as he walked with her to her room. "While I'm in the shower how about you pick out a movie you and Ashleigh can watch together." He said and then walked to the living room and grabbed the huge case of DVDs. He walked into Lily's room and she was sitting on her floor playing with her dolls. He set the DVDs down on the bed. He looked at her and got down on her level. "I will be in the bathroom if you need me. Okay?" He said as she nodded without looking up at him. She continued to play and he cleared his throat. "Okay?" He said again. She then looked up at him.

"Yes sir." She said as she played with her dolls.

"Thank you." He said as he got up and walked to the bathroom. He took a fairly quick shower and then trimmed up his facial hair. He walked into his bedroom and started picking out something to wear. He picked out dark pants with a black belt, black shoes and a light grey button down. He then got dressed in a t-shirt and basketball shorts so that he could give Lily a bath. He walked out of his room and looked at the clock on the wall. It was now 6:45. He then walked into Lily's room and saw that she was picking out a movie to watch. "Ready to take a bath?" He asked. She looked up and then nodded. He smiled and then walked into the bathroom. He got her bath ready and then helped her into it. He gave her a bath and then wrapped her in a towel. He walked with her back into her room and picked out a pair of Minnie mouse pjs. He set them on the bed and looked at her. She smiled at him and he walked out of the room. He walked to his room and got dressed. As he finished putting on his shirt he rolled up the sleeves. He then walked to the kitchen. He started making chicken nuggets. He could hear Lily's feet running up behind him. He turned around and saw that she had her pj shirt on backwards. He smiled and then fixed it for her. "Are you excited for Ashleigh babysitting you?" He asked.

"Yeah!" She said with a smile. He finished cooking the nuggets and made her a plate. As he set it in front of her the doorbell rang. Lily was about to get up and he pointed at her chair.

"Eat." He said as she nodded. He walked to the front door and opened it. At the door stood a 5'3, 16-year-old girl. She had on a pair of skinny jeans, white converse and a blue ravens cheerleading shirt.

"Hi Coach Scott." Ashleigh said in a soft sweet voice.

"Hi Ashleigh." Lucas said as he moved aside to let her in.

"You look really nice!" She said as she came inside.

"Thanks, my friend Brooke Davis is having a grand opening of her new store." He said as he closed the door. "Again, thanks for doing this on such short notice." He said.

"Oh no problem." She said. "I wasn't doing anything anyway."

"Oh. You aren't doing anything on a Saturday night?" He asked.

"Well, I'm grounded." She laughed.

"Ohhh." He said. "Sorry to hear that. Well, anyways, I'll take you on a little tour." He said. She nodded and they started walking. "This is my room, and here is Lily's." He said and then they started walking towards the back of the house. He finished showing her everything and they ended in the kitchen. Lily had only eaten one of her chicken nuggets. Lucas and Ashleigh sat down at the table with her.

"So are there any rules I need to follow?" Ashleigh asked as she smiled at Lily.

"Well I told Lily she could pick out a movie to watch and then she should probably go to bed." He said as Ashleigh nodded. "Also I know that I won't be coming home until 1 or 2 so go ahead and make yourself comfortable." He said.

"Yes sir." Ashleigh said.

"Also, I would rather know what I am coming home to instead of coming home to a surprise." He said as he looked at the clock. It was almost time for him to leave. He started to get up and got the rest of his things. He walked back into the kitchen and kissed Lily goodbye. She smiled at him.

Lucas and Peyton walked into the new store and saw Brooke busy at work. They smiled at her and were amazed at how well she was doing. As the party was in full swing Lucas walked up to Victoria Davis.

"Oh, I know you. You're one of my daughter's ill-chosen love interests." Victoria said, as she looked Lucas up and down in disgust.

"You must be very proud of Brooke." Lucas said as he looked around with a smile on his face. He was truly proud of her. "I can't believe all she's accomplished."

"Yes, and her taste has greatly improved. Thank God." Victoria said as rudely. "If you'll excuse me." She said as she walks away and stands alone. Peyton then walked up with a laughing smile.

"Oh, don't take it personally." Peyton said.

"She just..." He said and then kept his mouth open trying to pick out the words.

"Verbally punched you in the goodies? Yeah. That's how she says hi." She laughed.

"And I thought Brooke was being dramatic when she talked about her mom." He said as his eye caught Brooke. She was wearing a bright pink dress that flattered her nicely.

"Nope. All true." She said. "So..." She said as she noticed him looking at Brooke.

"What?" He asked looking back at her.

"Oh, nothing." She said with a smirk.

"Don't, oh nothing me." He said. "I know you are thinking of something." He laughed.

"I'm just wondering when you are going to realize that you love Brooke." She said as he looked at her.

"Peyton, I have a girlfriend, that I love." He said.

"Yes, but you don't have history with Lindsey. You have it with Brooke." She said. He looked at her and shook his head.

"You're wrong." He said in a hush angry tone. He then walked away and started talking to some other people. As he is talking his mind keeps going back to the memories he has with Brooke. He was thinking of their first interaction in high school.

Lucas sighs as he realizes Peyton was right. He walked over to Peyton who was talking to a bar tender.

"Okay, fine. You are right." Lucas whispered into her ear. Peyton turns around with a smile. He shook his head as he looked at her.

"She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant and beautiful and brave. In two years, she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday, and I'm not sure she even knows it." Peyton quoted the book. He looked at her and nodded.

"Yeah." He said as he then quoted his own writing. "Suddenly, it was as if the roar of the crowd, the echo of the final buzzer, the cheers of my teammates were all sounding from a thousand miles away. And what remained in that bizarre, muffled silence was only Brooke, the girl whose bravery and passion and beauty had changed my life. At that moment, my triumph was not a state championship, but simple clarity. The realization that we had always been meant for each other and every instinct to the contrary had simply been a denial of the following truth. I was now, and would always be, in love with Brooke Davis." He sighed as he looked at her. "You can't say anything. I'm in love with Lindsey as well." He said.

"Lucas…" Peyton said as she followed him outside. She grabbed his arm, as she did this he pulled a ring out of his pocket.

"I have this for Lindsey." He said as Peyton's mouth dropped. "I am proposing to her soon. She's a good fit. Lily needs someone in her life that is always there. Brooke just opened a new clothing store. It wouldn't be fair to her." He said as he turned his back. He then rubbed his neck and talked with his back facing Peyton. "What am I supposed to do? Walk up to Brooke and say, "Hey Brooke, I know the last time we dated…I messed it up. But I'm ignoring that because I love you. I've loved you since the day you were in the back of my truck. I loved you when you were away, and I loved you when we fought. I have loved you every single day of my life since we met. That being said, I want you to drop everything and help me raise a four year old. I know this is a lot but we can do it because we were meant for each other." He said as he turned around and looked at Peyton. She looked surprised.

"Wow you have thought a lot about this." She said.

"Yeah, since the day she came back in town. I haven't been able to shake the thought of Brooke Davis." He said as he looked at his watch. It was almost one. "I am gonna head home. Lindsey is coming into town." He said. "Do you want a ride?" He asked as he opened his door.

"Sure." Peyton said as she walked with him to the car. As they drove off, Brooke walked back inside. She had been standing on the rooftop of her new store, looking out at the night sky. She had heard every word that Lucas and Peyton had said.

Lucas pulled into the driveway and parked. He got out and walked inside. When he had left the house it was a little messy. When he got inside, the house was completely clean. Ashleigh was sitting on the couch watching TV. She turned around and smiled at him.

"Hi Coach!" She said.

"Hi." He said. "How was everything?" He asked.

"It was good. She was amazing." She said. "Except she didn't want to go to sleep."

"That's not that big of a surprise." He said. "What time did she finally go to bed?" He asked.

"She went to bed on time. She just cried because she said she wanted you." She said as she got up. He sighed and then paid Ashleigh. "Oh, I almost forgot. She is in your room asleep." She said as he nodded. She then left. He walked to his room and saw Lily sleeping in his bed. She had her blanket on top of her and her hair had been braided. He got undressed and put on a pair on PJ pants and a t-shirt. As he laid down, he moved Lily over and then back. He smiled as he wrapped an arm around Lily. He was almost asleep when there was a knock at his door. He got up and opened the door. It was Lindsey.

Brooke walked into her house. She was upset about the fight she had with her mother. She sighed as she set down on her purse. As she sat down at the table Peyton walked out of her room. She was wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. She smiled as she sat down across from Brooke.

"So how did it go?" Peyton asked.

"Bitchtoria only sent in the high-end clothes." Brooke said as she rolled her eyes.

"Sorry to hear that." Peyton said as Brooke nodded.

"So you and Lucas." Brooke said. "What's going on there?" She asked.

"Nothing. Just friends." Peyton said as she looked at Brooke. Brooke's eyes went to the floor and Peyton could tell she was hiding something. "What do you know?" She asked.

"Well, I needed fresh air…" Brooke started to say. "I saw you and Lucas talking….I was on the roof. Actually… I heard him." She said.

"Really?" Peyton said with a smile. "And…?"

"Lucas Scott is the one boy I would give up everything for." Brooke said as she looked down. "I would give up Clothes over Bros, my trips to Milan, my apartment in New York, LA and Miami. I would give it all up for him." She said as Peyton looked at her with her eyes popping.

"Go to him." Peyton said. "Go and tell him that you love him. Go tell him that by loving him you aren't giving up on anything. You are getting everything." She said as Brooke nodded. She got up and walked out to her car. Brooke had the biggest smile on her face. She was finally going to tell Lucas exactly how she felt. She drove to his house and noticed that the living room light was on. She parked and then went to the front door. She took a deep breath was she was about to open the door. She then looked in the little window and saw that Lucas had proposed to Lindsey. She slowly backed away from the door. She then got back in her car and drove home. Peyton had waited up and saw Brooke in tears. "What happened?" Peyton asked.

"He proposed to Lindsey." Brooke said as she walked into her room and shut the door.

 **Sorry this took me so long! Let me know what you think! -M** **J**


	7. He proposed

"Can we wake her up now?" Lindsey asked as Lucas watched his fiancé cook pancakes.

"No, not yet." Lucas said. "She will be up soon." He said as he watched her.

"Fine…" Lindsey said with a smile. "I can't wait for her to be in my life everyday." She said. She continued to make pancakes and could hear Lily was finally waking up. Lily walked out of Lucas' bedroom holding a teddy bear and dragging her blanket. She walked into the kitchen and saw Lindsey.

"Lindsey!" Lily said very excitedly. Lindsey smiled as she turned around and picked her up.

"Hey cutie pie!" Lindsey said as she hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I heard that we are going to the park today!"

"Yeah Daddy's gonna teach me to ride a bike." Lily said as Lindsey smiled.

"Well, we can't go to the park on an empty stomach." Lindsey said as she set Lily down. Lily smiled and then walked to her chair. She sat down and Lindsey place three plates on the table. Lindsey sat down and looked at Lily and Lucas. Lucas was reading the paper and eating while Lily was eating. Lindsey smiled as she watched them. Lucas noticed her watching and he set down the paper.

"So Lily we have some news for you." Lucas said as he looked at her. "Remember how I told you that I was going to ask Lindsey to marry me?" He said as she nodded. "Well, I asked her last and she said yes." He said as Lily smiled. She didn't really understand.

Peyton walked to Brooke's door and knocked.

"It's open." Brooke said. Peyton then walked in. She could tell Brooke hadn't slept all night. Peyton sat down on the bed and looked at her.

"Wanna talk?" Peyton asked.

"I waited to long." Brooke said. "I should have told him how I felt. The weird thing is, I have never felt so close to someone as I do to him. When I came back in town, I went to see him. I felt like I was apart of the family. You know? Lucas always make everything good, safe and warm." She said as she wiped her tears.

"Why did you wait?" Peyton asked.

"I was afraid of getting hurt again." Brooke said. "He's hurt me so many times, so I didn't want to put myself out there to get hurt again. But since I waited now it is too late. I love that little girl and I love him. Maybe he really loves Lindsey, and I'm just his high school love. His high school affair. Maybe I was only meant to be in his life in high school."

"What are you getting at?" Peyton asked.

"Maybe coming back was a mistake." Brooke said with a sigh. "I came back to get Lucas. I know you know but I am finally saying it out loud. I came back to get Lucas." She said as Peyton smiled.

"Then we will get him back." Peyton said.

"Peyton…he's engaged." Brooke sighed. Peyton smiled as she got up.

"And that small thing is gonna stop us?" Peyton said. "You are Brooke Penelope Davis. I've gone to jail for you. I've fought with you. I've cried with you. I have done every single day of life with you. I watched you get a job because you wanted a new dress. I watched you become student body president. You are gonna let some person who has what…." She said as she thought. "A year or two of memories with a guy that you have years of memories. You need to get up. Stop throwing a pity party and get the guy you want." She said as she pulled Brooke out of the bed.

"You're right." Brooke said as she looked in the mirror. "I am Brooke Penelope Davis for now, but I will be Brooke Penelope Scott." She said with a huge smile.

Lucas pulled into the parking spot. He looked over at Lindsey and laughed.

"I serious can't believe you got a truck as a rental." Lucas said.

"It was all they had." Lindsey said with a laugh. "It's kinda nice though." She said.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he got out of the truck.

"Well, think about it. There is more than enough room for the three of us." She said as he nodded and got Lily's bike out of the bed of the truck. While he was doing this Lindsey was getting Lily out of the truck. Lucas walked to the girls with a smile on his face.

"Ready to learn to ride your bike?" He asked as he got down on his knee.

"Am I gonna fall?" Lily asked as Lucas put his helmet on.

"No, I promise." He said as he smiled and patted her back. He then got up and they all three started walking towards the park. Lindsey had packed a picnic for them to eat while they were there. Lucas set the bike down on the sidewalk and put the kickstand down.

"Lucas why aren't there training wheels?" Lindsey asked.

"Because I'm teaching her to ride her bike, instead of her teaching herself." He said as he looked at Lily. He smiled as he picked her up and placed her on the bike. "Okay so I'm gonna hold onto the seat while you pedal. Do you remember how to do that?" He asked as he walked around and looked at her. Lindsey sat down on the bench and watched them. Lucas walked to the back of the bike and held onto it as he kicked up the stand. He smiled as Lily started peddling. Lindsey watched them as her phone rang. She turned her back and answered it.

"Lindsey! I heard you were in town." Haley said.

"Yeah, we should have lunch!" Lindsey said as she started setting things out for lunch for the three of them.

"We can do lunch soon." Haley said. "I was actually calling to see if you and Lucas would like to join us for dinner tonight."

"That sounds perfect." Lindsey said.

"Does five sound good?" Haley asked.

"Perfect!" Lindsey said. "We will be there. Bye." She said as she hung up. She turned around and continued to watch the two. Lucas smiled as he could tell Lily was quickly learning to ride her bike. He could tell she was stable and decided to let go.

"You're doing great Lily." He called out. "I'm not even helping you." He said with a huge smile. As he finished his sentence Lily got scared and fell off her bike and hit her elbow. Lucas ran up to her and picked her up. "Honey are you okay?" He asked as he looked at her elbow.

"You said I wouldn't fall." Lily said as she cried a bit.

"I know, but you were doing so good." He said as he got up. He was holding her and he carried her bike with him. He walked to the bench and sat down with Lily on his lap. Her elbow was bleeding but it was just a scrape. He cleaned it off and put a Band-Aid on it. He kissed her cheek and then set her down on the bench.

"Are you okay?" Lindsey asked as she put a sandwich in front of Lily.

"She's fine." Lucas said as he looked at Lily with a smile. Lily smiled back at him. The three of them started to eat their food.

"Oh, Haley invited us over for dinner." Lindsey said as Lucas nodded.

"Well, that will be a lot of fun." Lucas said with a smile. He watched Lily as she ate her food. "What time?" he asked.

"Five." Lindsey said as Lucas grabbed the banana from Lily's plate and peeled the fruit for her.

"That works." He said.

"When was the last time you went to the grocery store?" Lindsey asked as Lily finished eating.

"Can I go play?" Lily asked as Lucas nodded. Lily got up and went the playground and started swinging.

"Wasn't so recent." He laughed.

"I could tell." She said with a laugh. "We could go after this?" She suggested.

"Yeah, that will be good. I have had a list on my phone." He said as he watched Lily on the playground.

"What are your plans for this next week?" She asked as he turned around and looked at her.

"Uh, well there is the first basketball game this Friday night." He said.

"Well, I will most definitely be there." She said with a smile. "What does your schedule typically look like?" She asked.

"Well, I have to be at the school for practice by three and it last until five Monday through Thursday. Fridays I have games that start at 7. They will typically be over anywhere from 9 to 10, but I will stay and watch films." He said as they both continued to watch Lily.

"What about Lily?" She asked. "I just want to get a feel of what I will be doing." She said with a smile.

"She has basketball on Tuesdays, dance on Wednesdays, and art of Thursdays. These are from 2 to 4." He said. "Typically her teacher drops her off here." He finished as she nodded.

"So, what made you put Lily in the classes?" She asked.

"Well, it isn't fair to her that she has to sit in my office for an hour or two and then in a gym for another two hours. I just don't want her being around high school and the teenagers for four or five hours." He said. They continued talking about different things and then Lindsey smiled.

"So, when do you want to get married?" She asked.

"Soon." He said as she smiled.

"Well we could start planning." She said as he nodded. They smiled at each other and watched Lily play on the playground. Lucas typically takes her to the playground four or five times a week. He got up and walked over to the slide Lily had just gone down. "I was thinking that Jamie would make the cutest ring bearer." She said with a smile.

"Yeah and Lily will make a very cute flower girl." He said as she looked at him.

"Well, the second cutest." She said as he looked at her.

"What?" He asked.

"My cousin and I always talked about our kids being in each others weddings. Since I don't have any kids I was going to ask her daughter to be my flower girl." She said.

"So Lily isn't going to be the flower girl?" He asked.

"I didn't say that." She said. "Lily will just be the second flower girl." She finished saying as Lucas nodded and looked over at Lily.

"Daddy." Lily called out as he got up and walked to her.

"Having fun?" He asked, as the little girl pushed her hair out of her face and nodded. "Okay, well you can play for 15 more minutes and then we will go." He said as she looked at him.

"Okay." Lily said softly. She looked up at him and he got down on his knee.

"Whatcha thinking about Lils?" He asked.

"Can you push me on the swing?" She asked as he smiled and picked her up. He then walked over to the swing and sat her down on the swing.

"Remember to hold on?" He said as she nodded. He started to push her as Lindsey walked up to them. She took a couple pictures on her phone and smiled.

"Lily how's your elbow?" Lindsey asked.

"Fine." Lily said as she yawned. Lindsey smiled as she looked at Lucas. He smiled back as he stopped the swing.

"Ready to go?" He asked as she nodded. He smiled as they walked to the truck. He grabbed the bike and put it in the bed of the truck. After they were settled in the truck, he drove to the grocery store. He parked and the three of them got out. Lucas grabbed a basket and set Lily in the seat. They walked inside and started to shop.

"So what kind of cereal should we get?" Lindsey asked.

"Lucky Charms." Lily said as they both smiled. They continued shopping and Lucas as trying to be happy but really couldn't.

"I could make cookies when we get home." Lindsey said.

"That would be fun." He said as he looked at Lily. "Lily can help you." He smiled as he looked at Lindsey. Her smiled faded a little.

"I don't know if it would be smart to have Lily in the room." Lindsey said. "The oven is dangerous."

"She could help you pour the ingredients." He said as Lindsey nodded.

"I guess." Lindsey said with a smile. "We can make oatmeal cookies?" She said as he nodded. "What now?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said with a little smile. "I'm gonna go grab some milk. Meet you at the front?" He asked as she nodded and started to push the cart. Lucas walked to the dairy section as sighed. He started looking at the milk as Peyton walked by. He was so distracted with Lindsey's plans that he didn't agree with. He grabbed the milk and then walked away. Peyton watched him and took note of his emotions. As Lucas walked up to Lindsey he noticed that Lily was almost asleep. He smiled as they finished paying and walked out to the truck. They put everything in and then Lucas picked up Lily and set her in her seat. As he was pulling out he noticed that Lily was already asleep. He started to drive home as Lindsey looked at him.

"So I was thinking that on Monday we could go and look at some churches and other venues." Lindsey said.

"Sure." He said with a smile.

"Then maybe on Tuesday we can taste cakes." She said as she started to think. "Oh and on Wednesday I can look at dresses. Maybe even ask your friend Brooke. You said she designed clothes right?" She said.

"Yeah something like that." He laughed. "Clothes over Bros."

"That's your friend Brooke?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. I thought you knew that." He said. "I'm sorta the reason she started the line. We dated in high school and when I broke her heart she sworn off dating and guys all together." He said as he shook his head. Lindsey looked at him and smiled.

"Wow. Something you left outta your book." She laughed. "Anyways, I'm thinking we get married in November." She said, as he looked a little surprised.

"That's in two months." He said.

"Yeah, I was never one for having a big wedding." She said. "Plus, it's not like we have a lot of family that would be going." She said as he nodded. He looked in the rear view mirror to check on Lily. He was a little upset that none of Lindsey's plans included Lily. He hid his feelings and smiled at his fiancé as she talked about the different plans. He pulled into the driveway in the back. He got out and then got Lily out of her car seat. He walked inside with her and laid her down on her bed. He tucked her in and then walked out of her room. As he closed the door he saw Lindsey sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled as he sat down.

"So I was gonna go for a run, is that cool?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's fine." She said as he kissed her forehead. He walked to his room and changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt. As he tied his shoes Lindsey walked into the room. "What do I do if she wakes up?" She asked, as Lucas looked up a little surprised. He had never noticed how little Lindsey knew about Lily.

"If she wakes up, she will be a little grouchy." He said as he let out a breath. "She will also be really quiet and you won't notice she is awake until her door opens. If she does you can do one of three things. She will either wake up and color in her room, wake up and ask to watch a movie, or she will wake up hungry. If she wakes up hungry I cut an apple or banana for her to eat." He said as she nodded.

"And I can call you if I don't remember what to do?" She asked.

"Yep. I'll have my phone on me." He said as he kissed her cheek and then grabbed his ball. She smiled as she walked back into the kitchen and continued to search different sites about weddings. Lucas dribbled as he ran to the river court. When he got there he was a winded. He started to shoot around as he saw Peyton drive up. He laughed to himself as he watched her get out of the car. "Wow, you just keep showing up everywhere. Don't you." He joked as Peyton laughed.

"There's something about this court that just draws me to it." Peyton said with a smile. "I thought I would find you out here." She said as she caught her rebound.

"Why's that?" He asked.

"You are always here when you have to think about something." She said as she looked at him and smiled. "Or when you make a big mistake." She said as she bounced the ball back to him.

"What do you mean about a mistake?" He asked.

"I was just referring to the mistakes you made in high school." She lied as he nodded.

"I did make a lot." He said.

"Any you regret?" She asked.

"Uh…" He said as he shot. "A couple."

"Yeah?" She said as he shook his head.

"What are you doing this next week?" He asked as he motioned his head towards the bench. They walked there together and sat down.

"Uh, honestly I'm just hanging around the studio as they finish it and nothing really." She said as she looked at him. "Why?" She asked.

"Well, I proposed to Lindsey and she said yes." He said as he looked at her. He was rotating the ball in his hands.

"Oh my gosh Luke!" She said. "Congrats!" She smiled trying to hide her feelings.

"Thanks." He said.

"So why did you ask what I was doing?" She asked.

"Well, Lindsey has been talking about it non-stop. It's all she is talking about and yeah that's normal but she hasn't mentioned Lily in any of it. Wait, no that's a lie." He said as he set his ball down. "She said Lily was her number two." He said as he looked at her.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Lily isn't her first choice for the flower girl. She is still going to be in the wedding, but she is Lindsey's number two." He said as he got up. Peyton's eyes widen a bit. "And then when we were grocery shopping, she told me that Lily shouldn't help her make cookies. Lily loves doing that. I thought Lindsey knew so much about Lily but she doesn't." He groaned. "I thought this was supposed to be happy." He said.

"Wait, speaking of Lily, where is she?" She asked.

"At home taking a nap." He said. "Which I discovered before I left that Lindsey doesn't even know how to watch her, which comes to my question." He said as he looked at her.

"Alright." She said with a smile.

"I was hoping that you could watch Lily during the day this next week. Lindsey is all about the wedding." He said.

"What is Lily's schedule?" She asked.

"Uh, she has basketball on Tuesdays, dance of Wednesdays and art on Thursdays. It's from 3:30 to 5 on these days." He said. "Oh, but on Tuesday there isn't basketball this week." He finished as she nodded.

"So she just needs someone to watch her during the day?" She asked.

"Yeah, I need someone I can trust." He said as she nodded.

"I can do that for you!" She said as he smiled. He walked over to the basket and shot. "We can play games, color, and do so many crafts." She said as she hopped off the bench. "Well, me, her and Brooke can do all those things."

"She's gonna love that." He said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had a text from Haley. "Luke, don't forget that Jamie and Lily start preschool on Tuesday at 8. – Hales." He read aloud.

"You put Lily in daycare?" She asked.

"Yeah, Haley was putting Jamie in it on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 to 2. We thought it would be smart to keep them together. The kids love being together." He said as she nodded.

"So on Tuesday and Thursday, I don't need to watch her?" She asked.

"Uhh…" He said as he thought. "I am gonna drop her off on Tuesday but on Thursday I have a meeting at the high school. I would only need you tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday. Is that okay?" He stated.

"Okay." She said with a smile. "I have no life, so I can most definitely help." She laughed as the two said their goodbyes. He finished shooting around and then started to head home. He walked inside and Lindsey was in the kitchen baking. He smiled at her and then went into the bathroom to shower. He came out of the bathroom and got dressed. As he walked into the kitchen he looked for Lily.

"I thought you were gonna have Lily help you?" He said.

"I think she is still asleep." Lindsey said as Lucas sighed. He walked to her room and opened the door. Lily was still asleep in the bed. He looked at her and then walked to her bed.

"Lils, it's time to wake up." He said as he sat down on her bed. He could feel her moving around. She curled up as he picked her up and set her in his lap.

"I smell cookies." Lily said as he sighed.

"Yeah, Lindsey made some cookies to bring to uncle Nathan's tonight." He said as he started to feel her forehead. He could feel her temperature when he set her down in his lap. "Do you feel okay?" He asked as she shrugged. "Well, I don't think you have a fever, but if you don't feel good while we are over there. Tell me okay?" He said as she nodded. She got up and started to play with some of her toys.

"Daddy, can I bring teddy with me?" She asked as she set it down on her bed.

"Of course." He said as he got up. He walked over to her closet and opened it. He grabbed out a pair of jeans and a shirt with a ladybug on it. "Wanna wear this tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said as he nodded.

"Well, I'll come back in a little bit." He said as he walked out of the room. Lindsey was outside the door.

"Is she okay?" Lindsey asked as he closed the door.

"Yeah?" He said a little confused.

"Well, that was my first time to ever be alone with her." She said as he looked at her.

"Are you sure?" He asked trying to think about it.

"Yeah." She said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Well, she isn't broken so I'm guessing you did a good job." He said as she laughed a bit. He grabbed a cookie and took a bite. "These are good." He said.

"Thanks." She said. He smiled as he started walking back to Lily's room. He opened the door and looked at the four-year-old playing with her toys.

"Ready to go?" He said as she smiled up at him. She got up from the floor and grabbed her teddy bear. He smiled at her as she grabbed his hand. He walked with her out of the room. They were walking to the door when Lindsey stopped them.

"Her hair." Lindsey said as he laughed.

"Completely forgot." He said as he picked her up and walked into the bathroom. He set her down on the counter. He brushed her hair and then pulled it into a ponytail. "Okay, let's go see Uncle Nathan." He said as Lily's eyes lit up. She loved being around Nathan and Haley. They got into Lucas' car and drove to the other Scott house. They got out and walked inside.

"Uncle Lucas!" Jamie said as he ran up to Lucas.

"J-Luke!" Lucas said as he picked him up and hugged him. "How was your day?" He asked as he set him down.

"It was good! I got to hang out with dad and mama all day." Jamie said as he smiled.

"Sounds like a good day." Lucas said. Jamie nodded and then grabbed Lily's hand.

"Come on Lily. Let's go play." Jamie said as the two of them ran up the stairs and into Jamie's room. Nathan and Lucas watched them and laughed.

"Do you think we would have been like that if we didn't grow up hating each other." Lucas said as Nathan looked at him.

"Probably." Nathan said as they walked into the kitchen where Haley and Lindsey were. Lucas stood next to Lindsey.

"We're engaged." Lindsey said as she held up the ring. Haley's face lit up with both excitement and a stage of confusion.

"Oh my god! Congratulations!" Haley said as she hugged them both.

"Thanks!" Lucas and Lindsey both said. As the adults continued to talk Nathan grabbed two beers out of the fridge. He looked at Lucas and nodded his head to the back porch. The two of them walked outside while Haley and Lindsey talked.

"So, you finally popped the question." Nathan said as he handed the other beer to Lucas. "You haven't mention doing that."

"Do you think it is a mistake?" Lucas asked as Nathan coughed on his beer.

"What do you mean a mistake?" Nathan asked.

"Well, I don't know." Lucas sighed as he sat down on a lounge chair. "Today Lindsey started talking about wedding plans and how fast she wants to get married… but I just don't know. She talked about Jamie being the ring bearer and when I mentioned Lily being the flower girl, she said that Lily is her number two. She will still be in the wedding but not as the main flower girl. How can she say something like that?" He asked as he looked at his brother. Nathan sighed and continued to listen. "Lily is my daughter. Sadly, she will never be my sister. Ever. I adopted her and that's it. The woman I marry has to be dedicated to Lily. They don't have to give up their career or something like that, but knowing how to take care of her would be nice. I went for a run today and Lindsey had no idea how to take care Lily. It really made me question everything. What am I supposed to do? Do I call it off after only being engaged for a day? I love her. Or at least I thought I did." He said.

"Luke, don't do something like that." Nathan said as Lucas looked at him. "You love Lindsey, right?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lucas said.

"Do you think Lindsey got caught in the moment and wasn't thinking?" Nathan said. "Haley and I were preparing to become parents. You got thrown into it. Just like Lindsey is about to be thrown into it. Maybe give Lindsey some slack. Being a parent is really hard. There isn't anyone to turn to. Think back to when you got thrown into." He said as Lucas nodded.

"But I just…I think I did it to hide something." Lucas whispered as the girls walked outside.

"Ready to eat?" Haley said as Nathan looked at Lucas.

"Yeah." Nathan said as they both got up. They walked inside and sat down at the table.

"So Lucas do you need Carrie to take Lily to preschool on Tuesday?" Haley asked as they all started eating their chicken.

"I'm actually going to drop Lily off before we go look at venues." Lucas said as Haley nodded. The family continued to eat and as they finished Lily walked up to Lucas. Lucas looked at her and picked her up. He set her down on his lap. He felt her forehead and she felt a lot warmer than earlier. He patted her leg and whispered into her ear that they wouldn't stay much longer. They continued to talk about different things going on.

"So, Luke. How is the second book coming along?" Haley asked as they all looked at him.

"Actually, I've gotten really far." Lucas said. "It really hit me about a month and a half ago. I don't really know why, but all of a sudden something came to me, just like in the first book." He said as Lindsey raised an eyebrow. The conversations came to a close and they started to get up and leave. "Sorry to cut the night so short. But when I came home from my run, Lily didn't feel good." He said as both Nathan and Haley

"We understand. Don't worry about it. Just make sure my niece starts feeling better." Nathan said as he walked them to the door. Lucas smiled as they left. He walked out to the car and put Lily in the seat in the back. He got in the driver's seat and started driving home. Lindsey looked in the back seat at Lily sleeping. She was thinking that they could have just laid her down in a different room and continued to socialize. They got to the house and walked inside.

"Does Lily need anything?" Lindsey asked.

"Not yet." He said as they walked with Lily to her room. Lucas changed her into a pair of pjs and then laid her in bed. As he walked out of the room Lily sat up.

"Daddy, can you read me a book?" Lily asked.

"What if Lindsey does it?" Lucas asked.

"But..." Lily said as he nodded and walked back into the room. As he read her the book, he fell asleep.

 **Hope y'all like the chapter. If you can't tell I'm not following the Lindsey story line, so don't be mad if you don't like it. Will continue updating! –M** **J**


	8. then like that, he was gone

Lucas woke up in his bed. He forgot that he had woken up after reading Lily a story and moved into his own bed. He got up and went to check on Lily. As he did this he was checking his phone. He had a couple missed calls and decided to listen to them. He realized that he had a meeting at the high school with the new athletic director. He walked into Lily's room and she was up playing.

"Feeling fine?" Lucas asked.

"Mhm!" Lily said with a smile. He smiled as he walked to fine Lindsey getting ready in the bathroom.

"So I forgot that I have a meeting this morning." Lucas said as Lindsey looked at him.

"That's fine! I called your friend Brooke and she said I could meet with her today." Lindsey said as Lucas hid his emotions. It was hard enough for him to tell Peyton, but to tell Brooke was a whole different story.

"Okay." He said as he walked back into his room to get ready for the meeting. As he was getting dressed Lindsey walked into the room.

"I'm going to look at a few places!" Lindsey said as he nodded. She kissed him goodbye and then left. He started to tie his shoes, Peyton walked into his room.

"Hey bud!" Peyton said as Lucas looked up from his shoes.

"Hey Peyton." He said as she smiled.

"Is Lily ready?" She asked as he nodded.

"What do you have planned today?" He asked.

"Well, we are going to go by Red Bedroom because I'm listening to a new band." She sighed. "It kinda came really unexpected…" She said.

"Do I need to find someone to watch Lily?" He asked as he sighed a little bit. He was upset because Lindsey had already left.

"No, I already did!" She smiled as Brooke walked into the room with Lily.

"Daddy, Brooke is gonna take me shopping!" Lily said as she ran up to Lucas. He smiled as he picked her up and set her down on his lap.

"Shopping for what?" He asked as he looked at Brooke and mouthed hi.

"Clothes." Lily said. "For preschool! I start tomor…" She faded off not knowing how to pronounce the word.

"Tomorrow." He said with a half smile. He couldn't believe that she was already starting preschool. Soon it would be her first day of kindergarten, the middle school, high school and then college. He kissed her cheek and then looked at Brooke. "She has clothes."

"Yes she does." Brooke said. "But nothing that screams I am a big kid in preschool. All her clothes say she is a three year old whose dad picks out her clothes. She needs to be cute on her first day." She said as he laughed.

"Well considering I do pick out her clothes, I'm glad you can tell I pick them out." He said with a smile. Brooke and Peyton started to laugh.

"That wasn't a compliment." Peyton laughed.

"Oh…" He said as laughed a bit. "I can give you some money." He said as Brooke shook her head.

"Just think of it as a late birthday gift." Brooke said with a smile. "Plus I think this little girlie needs some girl time." She said as she reached her hand out from Lily. Lily smiled as she got up and grabbed Brooke's hand. Brooke smiled as she got down on her knees. "How about you go get everything and put them into your backpack." She said as she nodded. Brooke smiled as she got back up. "So what time do I need to drop her off?" She asked.

"Well, I will be at the high school all day. I get done around 5 with practice." He said.

"Okay, well I can drop her off then." Brooke said as Lucas got up and hugged her.

"Thanks so much for taking her." He said as Lily came back into the room. She was wearing a long sleeve pink shirt with jeans. Her shoes were on the right feet but untied. "Come here, I'll tie your shoes." He said as he reached out for her. She walked over to him and he picked her up. He set her on his lap again and started to tie her shoes. He finished and she jumped off his lap. "Bye Lily, see you later." He said as he kissed her cheek.

"Bye-bye Daddy. I love you." Lily said as Brooke grabbed Lily's hand.

"Love you too." Lucas said with a smile as he watched them leave. He got up and walked to his computer. He sat down and opened it. He clicked on the document labeled new book. He opened it and started writing. 'The red seemed to be as perfect as lace. She was no longer the little girl hiding behind the red and afraid to let others in. She was now the woman embracing the colored that directed her life through everything. THE END.' He wrote as he smiled. He had finished the book. He started working on the summary. 'A small town girl grew up hiding from her potential. She hid it behind the popularity; sex and alcohol that came from the high school realm that she belong to. She has withstood many obstacles and from them she became a woman with a heart of gold.' He then went to the top of the page where his title page where it read untitled. He started to write 'The Girl that Lived Behind the Red.' He finished with a grin. He didn't really know what the story was about other than it being about a girl finding her way. He didn't realize it was his feelings being poured out about Brooke.

Brooke parked in the parking garage behind her new store. As she helped Lily out of the car she noticed her mother's car parked a couple spots away. She groaned as she shut the door. She reached for Lily's hand and they started to walk to the storefront. Before they walked inside Brooke stopped Lily to fix her hair. She pulled up one side of her hair into a cute bun and then did the other side the same. Brooke smiled at Lily and then they walked inside. Brooke bent down and pointed to the purple couch.

"You can go sit over there." Brooke said with a smile. She then watched Lily run over to the couch and sit down. Brooke laughed to herself and then went to put her things up. As she walked back out Victoria was standing at the front counter. Brooke sighed and walked up to the counter.

"What on Earth do you call that?" Victoria said as she looked over at Lily.

"A child." Brooke said annoyed. "You might have known what a child was if you were around when I was." She finished as Victoria looked back at her and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh Brooke don't be so dramatic." Victoria said as Brooke rolled her eyes. "Besides, I know what a child is. I was wondering how she got here." She said as Brooke sighed.

"Remember Lucas Scott?" Brooke said.

"Aw yes, the ill-chosen love interest." Victoria said as she nodded.

"She is his daughter." Brooke said as Victoria's eyes widen.

"Is she yours too?" Victoria asked.

"Mother. Stop." Brooke said. "Lucas' mother died in child birth and the father of the child was Keith Scott. Lucas was left as the legal guardian and a couple months after the death he adopted her."

"Oh." Victoria said as she looked over at the four year old. "She looks a lot like you." She laughed. "Anyways, I came here to tell you that you are making a mistake by staying here. There is a reason I left this town. I am afraid that you are going to regret staying here."

"Staying here is what I want." Brooke said. "This is my home. This is the place where everything's better and everything's safe." She said as Victoria scoffed. "Bye mother." She said as Victoria left. Brooke looked over at Lily with a smile. "Come here sweetie!" She said as she held out her hand. Lily smiled and ran over to Brooke. Brooke grabbed her hand and then picked her up and set her on the counter. Brooke was checking the books when Lindsey walked in.

"I'm here for my fitting." Lindsey said as she noticed Lily. "Hi Sweetie! What are you doing?" She asked.

"Brooke took me shopping." Lily said with a smile.

"Isn't that nice." Lindsey said. Brooke smiled as she started to take Lindsey's measurements. As she was doing this Lily was playing with her teddy bear by the window. As she was playing Lindsey and Brooke were talking about dresses.

"So I think that is gonna a really pretty dress." Brooke said. "I can start doing it tomorrow. When are you planning on getting married?" She asked.

"Early November." Lindsey said as Brooke's writing stopped. She was a little surprised by how soon.

"Alright. We can do the last fitting in mid October." Brooke said.

"Is that all?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah." Brooke said with a smile. "Oh how is Lucas' second book coming along?" She asked.

"He said that out of no where he just started to write." Lindsey said as she walked over to Lily. "I can take Lily off your hands. I am done for the day. I'm just going to go home and edit Lucas' writing." She said as she grabbed Lily's hand.

"Oh okay." Brooke said as she thought about Lucas' writing and what inspired him last time. "How long ago was this?" She asked.

"Oh about a month and a half ago." Lindsey said as she then looked at Brooke. "Actually when did you get back into town?"

"Uh…" Brooke said as Lindsey looked at her eyes. "I don't really remember." She said as Lindsey scoffed. She could tell Brooke was lying.

"Well, we are gonna go." Lindsey said as she pulled Lily with her. She was pulling her really hard.

"No! I wanna stay here." Lily said as she started fighting with Lindsey.

"No, we are going home." Lindsey said as she pulled Lily with her more.

"No!" Lily said as Lindsey stopped and bent down.

"Lily. We are leaving. I am the adult and you are the child." Lindsey said sternly. Brooke was trying not to watch what was going on.

"I wanna stay with Brooke. We are going to go get ice cream." Lily said as she stomped her foot.

"Bad little girls don't get ice cream." Lindsey said as Lily looked at her. Lily scrunched up her face.

"I hate you." She said as Lindsey slapped her across the face. The little girl then started to cry. Lindsey picked Lily up and walked out of the store. Brooke was in shock. She walked to the backroom and asked Millie to watch the store. It was almost time for her to meet Haley at the high school. She grabbed her purse and walked out to her car. She got in and drove to the high school. It was almost time for practice to be over. Brooke parked her car and got out. She started walking to the gym door. She was wearing a pair of white skinny jeans, a yellow tank top and black heels. She opened the gym door and the light caused everyone to look that way. Lucas watched as Brooke walked up to him. He was a little caught off guard.

"Brooke, where's Lily?" Lucas asked as Brooke grabbed him by the shirt.

"We need to talk." Brooke said as Lucas followed her. They walked into the hallway and she stopped. She was very upset.

"Where's Lily?" Lucas asked in a more serious tone.

"She's at home with that horrible monster you call a fiancé." Brooke said.

"Hey, hold on." Lucas said angrily. "I don't really care what you think about her, but calling her names is uncalled for." He said. "Why are you doing this?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

"Lucas she is a monster." Brooke said as she took a deep breath. "She hit Lily." She said as he uncrossed his arms.

"What do you mean she hit Lily?" He asked. "Where? Why? When?"

"Lily didn't want to leave because we were having a lot of fun." She said. "Lindsey slapped Lily across the face really hard." She said as Lucas made a fist. He took a deep breath and walked back into the gym.

"PRACTICE IS OVER." Lucas yelled as most of the players looked at their coach. Skills nodded at the players to leave. Nathan started to walk over to Lucas, but Lucas was walking out the door. He walked out to his car and got in.

"Hey Brooke, what did you tell him?" Nathan asked as Brooke walked back into the gym. Skills walked up to them to find out what the huge out burst was about.

"Umm…are you two going to make the same outburst?" Brooke asked.

"If it is just, then yeah." Skills said as Nathan agreed.

"Lindsey slapped Lily across the face." Brooke said, as both adults got mad.

Lucas pulled into the driveway and got out of his car. He took a deep breath before he opened the door. He was going to let Lindsey tell her side of the story. He opened the door and saw Lily was standing in the corner.

"Lily you can go to your room." Lucas said as Lily looked at him. Her face was really red and he could tell she had been crying a lot. As she walked by him he knelt down and gave her a hug. He smiled as he watched her walk to her room. He took a deep breath and walked into his room. He saw Lindsey was sitting at his computer. He shut the door and looked at her. "We need to talk." He said as she closed the laptop.

"I think that is a smart idea." Lindsey said, as Lucas looked a little confused. "I read your new book. It's good." She said.

"Lindsey we need to talk about something more serious." He said.

"This is serious." She said. "Your book is named 'The Girl that Lived Behind the Red.' I thought it was gonna be really good and something mysterious. Well, today I was driving around town and I saw Brooke's old house. It was a red door, which got me thinking. What else is red in Brooke's life? Brooke has lived behind a red door her whole life. You even painted one for her. Then when I was getting fitted for my wedding dress, Brooke asked about your book. While we were talking about it, she mentioned that she came back into town right when you started writing again. Care to explain?" She said as Lucas tried to take a deep breath and then looked at her.

"CARE TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU HIT MY DAUGHTER?" He yelled. He then took a breath. He looked at her and sighed. "Lindsey, I can't trust you."

"I can't trust you either. You still love Brooke." She said.

"No I don't! I loved you!" He yelled. "Why the hell did you hit Lily?" He asked. "That is not how I discipline her." He said.

"And how would I know that?" She yelled.

"So you think it is just fine to slap a four year old for disagreeing with you?" He asked. "Brooke told me what happened."

"Of course she did. She made me look like the bad guy." She said as she got up from the desk. "Did Brooke tell you that Lily told me she hated me?" She asked.

"She's four!" He yelled. "Do you know how many times she tells me that she hates me? She learned that word from a show I was watching while she was in the living room with me. She knows she isn't supposed to say it and that she gets in trouble when she does, but I don't punish her by slapping her across the face." He said as he shook his head.

"She wasn't listening." She said trying to defend herself. He sighed and looked down.

"So your go to thing is to slap her? Or grab her arm causing a bruise. I saw my daughter." He asked. "Let's put it this way, I can't marry you." He said as her jaw dropped. "I can't trust you, plus you said that you spent the day looking at where my ex girlfriends used to live. I love you, but I love my friends and family and Lily more. I'm sorry." He said as she started throwing her clothes into her bags.

"I don't want to see you again." She said as she placed the ring on top of his computer. He sighed. This is what he wanted, but not like this. He felt like he handled this wrong. He watched as Lindsey left his house. He closed the door and then sat down on the couch. He was about to cry when he noticed Lily's teddy bear was sitting on the coffee table. He grabbed it and then got up. He walked to her bedroom and opened the door. He saw her sitting on her bed.

"Hey princess." He said as she looked up at him. She had a slight smile.

"Hi daddy." She said.

"I think we need to talk." He said as he reached out his hand. She got up and walked over to him. He took her hand and they walked to the living room and he sat down on the couch. He picked her up and set her down on his lap.

"Am I in trouble?" She asked as he handed her the teddy bear.

"Just listen." He said as he lightly patted her leg. "Lindsey and I aren't getting married anymore. It was a rushed decision. I didn't think it through." He said as he looked at her. "I know you liked her but she wasn't ready to be a mommy and I don't think she would have made the type of mommy you deserve. We won't be seeing her anymore. Do you understand?" He said as she nodded. "That being said, I am very sorry that she slapped you. I am actually very mad about that. But, you know you aren't supposed to say the word hate. We have talked about that. Do you remember why you don't say that word?" He asked.

"I can't say it because I shouldn't tell people that I hate them. It hurts their feelings." She said as he nodded.

"I'm not going to punish you. But next time you say it, you will be in trouble." He said. "Okay?"

"Yes sir." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled as he hugged her back. "Is it my fault?" She asked as he pulled out of the hug and looked at her.

"No, it's not. It's mine and Lindsey's." He said as he held her.

"Are you sad?" She asked.

"A little." He said. "But, let's watch a movie." He said as she smiled. She got off his lap to go get a blanket. He was picking out a movie when there was knock at the front door. He got up and walked to the door. He opened it and saw Nathan standing there. He was holding a bunch of shopping bags.

"Brooke asked me to bring these over." Nathan said as Lucas smiled. "Did you talk to Lindsey?" He asked as he walked inside.

"Yep…" Lucas said. "The wedding is over." He said as Lily walked back into the room with her blanket.

"Hi uncle Nathan." She said as Nathan smiled. He loved hearing Lily calling him an uncle. He knelt down and hugged her.

"Hi sweetie." Nathan said as he let go of her. He smiled as he watched her get on the couch. "So…" He said as they walked into the kitchen. "Are you okay?" He asked as Lucas started making Lily a drink.

"I'm okay…" Lucas said as Nathan nodded.

"What do you have planned for Lily before preschool?" Nathan asked.

"Pizza and a movie." Lucas laughed. "Not really in the mood for anything."

"Understandable." Nathan said.

"Did you tell Haley what happened?" Lucas asked.

"Actually I did not. Haley and Brooke were going to talk about something. Don't really remember what." Nathan said as Lucas nodded. Nathan looked at Lily with a smile. "And how is my favorite little niece?" He asked as he picked her up and walked to the couch.

"Am I really your favorite?" Lily asked with a giggle.

"Of course." Nathan said as he kissed Lily's cheek. He smiled as he set her on his lap. Nathan looked at Lily and then tilted her face to see her cheek that Lindsey slapped. As he looked at it Lily pushed his hands away.

"Uncle Nathan that hurts." She said as he sighed.

"Aww." Nathan said as he sighed. He was really upset that Lindsey had slapped her. He smiled as Lily snuggled up to him. Lucas walked into the living room and saw his brother and smiled. He was carrying a printed version of his new book. He sat down on the couch next to his brother.

"Can you ask Haley to look at this?" Lucas asked. "Don't really think Lindsey wants to be my editor anymore…" He groaned as Nathan took it.

"Sure thing." Nathan said as he started to get up. He walked to the door and looked back at his brother. "I'm just a phone call away." He said.

"Okay." Lucas laughed. Nathan left and Lucas got up. He walked to his room and grabbed his computer. He then walked back to the living room and sat down next to Lily. "So how about a peperoni?" He said as he looked at Lily.

"Okay!" She said with a smile. He nodded and then started to order. Before he pressed send the doorbell rang.

"Can I get it?" Lily asked as she stood up on the couch.

"No." He said as he walked to the door and opened it. He smiled as he saw Skills, Mouth, Junk and Fergie standing at the door. "What are you guys doing here?" He asked.

"Just came to be with our dawg." Skills said as they walked into the house. Lily smiled as she saw them.

"Uncle Mouth!" She said as she jumped off the couch and ran to Mouth. He smiled as he picked up the little girl.

"And how is my favorite girl in the whole world?" Mouth asked as Skills shook his head.

"She ran past me, to get to you." Skills said as he groaned.

"She likes me more." Mouth laughed as Lily smiled at him. She was very used to being around her dad's friends. They had all stayed in touch through their college years, and typically came to Lucas' house two to three times a week.

"So what are we doing tonight?" Skills asked as he looked at Lucas. "Doesn't Lily start Pre K tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Lily said really excitedly.

"Guessing you're excited?" Mouth said as he set her down and she went to Fergie and Junk to hug them.

"Yeah! Jamie and me are gonna be together!" Lily said as she looked at Skills. Skills smiled at her and she ran over to him. He picked her up and hugged her. He hugged her and then continued to hold her.

"So what do you think you're gonna do tomorrow?" Skills asked as Lucas smiled and continued to order pizzas.

"Color?" Lily said as the guys all nodded.

"Probably." Skills said as he walked over to the couch and sat down. He had Lily on his lap and started to look at the mark that Lindsey had made. He sighed as he looked at Lucas. Lucas looked at Skills and got up. Skills noticed this and then placed Lily on the couch. He got up and followed Lucas into the kitchen. Lucas was sitting at the kitchen table and Skills sat down across from him. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"No." Lucas said as he looked at Skills and then looked down.

"Luke…" Skills said as Lucas looked at him.

"Lily got slapped across the face." Lucas said as Skills sighed.

"I know, but it doesn't seem to faze her." Skills said. "What are you really thinking?" He asked.

"What do you think my mom and Keith are thinking?" Lucas asked as he sighed. "I let a strange girl around their daughter and then this happened…" He said.

"Luke don't do that. You can't question your life decisions like this." Skills said. "Lily is your daughter now. You can't think about what they would want. "You need to do what you want to do."

"I let Lindsey come into my life, that fine. But I shouldn't have brought her into Lily's life until I was certain she was the one." Lucas said.

"And you proposing wasn't you being certain that she was the one?" Skills asked.

"I think it was a rushed decision." Lucas sighed. "I think I am just gonna stay single." He said.

"Luke, no. Your mom and Keith would not want you to be alone. They would want to find love like they had. They would want you to be happy." Skills said as Lucas looked at him.

"What is this even about? I woke up this morning engaged and will be going to bed single. What am I supposed to accomplish in this life? What is the prupose?" Lucas said as he looked at Skills. Just as Skills was about to answer the question Lily came down the hall. She was dragging her blanket and holding her teddy bear. Her brown curly hair was in pigtails and she was wearing a pink pajama set.

"Daddy…" She said as he turned and looked at her. Lucas smiled as he picked her up and set her on his lap. "Are we still gonna watch a move?" She asked as both the guys smiled.

"Of course." Lucas said as they all got up. Lily smiled as she ran back to the living room.

"That's what it is all about." Skills said as Lucas smiled. He watched as Skills and Mouth sat on the couch with Lily. Junk and Fergie were sitting on the floor around her. He chuckled to himself as he watched his friends entertain his daughter. He walked to the door and opened it. The pizza delivery guy was standing there. Lucas recognized the pizza delivery guy as his star basketball player Quentin Fields. He talked to him for a little bit and then paid for the pizzas. He shut the door and then placed the pizza boxes on the coffee table. He walked to the kitchen and gathered plates, and napkins. Mouth had walked in to grab a couple beers and a juice box for Lily. The guys walked back into the living room and all started to eat. Lily was typically a messy eater so while all the guys were sitting in chairs; Lily was sitting on the floor using the coffee table. After Lily finished Lucas got up and picked out a movie.

"So I told Lily I would watch a movie with her before she went to bed…she picked it out." Lucas said as he picked up the DVD case.

"Yes!" Junk said as the guys all looked at him.

"You know it's gonna be the Little Mermaid…right?" Mouth said.

"Yeah, I wanna know how it ends. Me and Lily didn't finish it last time." Junk said as the guys all laughed. Lucas put the movie in and then sat back down on the couch. Junk and Fergie were in the two different chairs in the living while Lucas, Skills, and Mouth were on the couch. Lucas had picked Lily up and she was sitting on his lap watching the movie. As the movie came to an end, Lucas looked down and noticed that Lily had fallen asleep. He got up and carried her to her bedroom and tucked her in. He kissed her goodnight and then shut her door. He walked back into the living room and hung out with his friends.

 **Hope y'all like this chapter! Let me know! I know this is a crazy chapter, but I have a plan! –M** **J**


	9. Bring Back the Good Times

"Okay, stand up nice and tall." Lucas said as he took out his camera. Lily looked at him with a smile. She was wearing a yellow shirt with white polka dots and the sleeves were a little ruffled. Over the shirt she had a flower overall dress, which was blue with white, yellow and pink flowers. The dress showed most of shirt. Lucas had fixed her hair by pulling half of it up and he put a coral bow in her hair. He smiled as he looked down at her feet and chuckled. She was wearing white converse. He finished taking pictures and then walked into the living room. He had already made Lily's lunch. He grabbed her backpack and lunch box. He walked back to her and handed her the backpack and lunch box. Her backpack was pink with white dots on it and her lunch box matched. He smiled as she held his hand. "Ready?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Lily said with a huge smile. He smiled as they walked out to the car. He helped her into the car and then they drove to the preschool. It was 7:45 when they pulled up to the school. They got out and walked inside. The preschool was very nice inside with a playground next to it. As they walked into the class the teacher walked up to greet them.

"Hi, I am Miss Glenda Farrell, but you can call me Miss Glenda." Glenda said with a smile as she handed Lucas a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." Lucas said as he took it. "I'm Luc…" He started to say as she cut him off.

"Lucas Scott, the new head coach of the varsity Tree Hill Ravens." Glenda said as Lucas looked at her.

"Oh god. Glenda!" He said as the two hugged. "How have you been?" He asked. Glenda smiled at him and then got down on Lily's level.

"You can put your things over there." Glenda pointed as Lily walked over there. "I've been really good. I moved back to Tree Hill after graduating college." She said with a smile.

"That's great. Yeah, we just moved back too." He said as she nodded.

"Awesome!" She said as Lily walked back. As Lily stood by Lucas she saw Jamie was at a table with other kids. She walked over to him and sat down at the table. "So, parents can stay if they would like but you don't have to. I understand if it is hard to let go." She said as Lucas looked to see where Lily was. He saw that she was completely fine and he sighed. He was hoping that putting Lily in preschool was just a terrible idea and that she would want to come home with him. He walked out to his car and got in. He then drove to the high school. He parked and walked inside. It was almost time for class to start but he went to Haley's class anyways. As he walked into the class, Haley looked up at him.

"Oh. My. God. This book is better than the last one." Haley said as she put it down.

"Really?" He asked as he sat down in one of the desk.

"Yeah, it is incredible, and I'm only in the second chapter." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." He said.

"So how did it go?" She asked.

"It was really hard to be honest." He said. "I got there and she just left me. Just like that. It seemed like she didn't even care that I left." He sighed.

"Luke, of course she does. But she also is very outgoing." She said as he nodded.

"I can't believe that Glenda Farrell from current events is our kids teacher." He said.

"I know!" She said as the bell rang. The continued talking as the students walked into the classroom. As Lucas left he walked into Quentin Fields.

"Coach." Quentin said as Lucas looked at him.

"What are you doing in third period?" Lucas asked.

"It's my study hall." Quentin replied.

"Okay, come by my office." Lucas said as Quentin nodded. Lucas then walked to his office. His first plan was to pick which JV player would be moving up to varsity after one of the players moved. He got into his office and sat down. As he pulled up the junior varsity roster Coach Adams walked into the office.

"Lucas, you wanted to talk to me." Adams said as he sat down.

"Yeah…you have an excess of players on your team. Right?" Lucas said.

"Yeah, we had a lot of freshmen last year and most stuck around." Adams said.

"Who are your top three players?" Lucas asked. "Weston Hyde moved last week and I'm down a player." He said.

"Well that's easy." Adams said. "The first and most obvious choice is Jace Jagielski. My next two which if we are being honest don't even compare to Jagielski is Roger Adams and Austin Bates." He said.

"Roger Adams, isn't he your son?" Lucas asked as he pulled up the stats on him.

"Yeah, he's a good player but Jace is your guy." Adams said.

"Jagielski, huh." Lucas said as he looked up Jace's information. As he looked at it he nodded. "You're team will still survive?" He asked.

"Yep. Jace is a great player. He deserves to be on varsity." Adams said.

"Alright. I'll send Jace the good news." Lucas said as Adams got up.

"Alright. See you later." Adams said as Lucas nodded. Adams left his office as Lucas looked up Jace's schedule. He noticed that his next period was his study hall. Haley was his study hall teacher so he sent her email telling her to send Jace to his office. Lucas then started to work on some game plans. As he worked on the plans he heard a slight knock on the door. He looked up and saw Jace standing there. Jace looked almost identical to Jake but he had blonde hair and blue eyes, while Jake has brown hair and brown eyes. Lucas then motioned for him to come in. Jace opened the door and walked in.

"Coach Scott you wanted to see me?" Jace said as Lucas motioned toward the chair. Jace sat down as Lucas closed his book.

"I think you should call your parents." Lucas said as Jace's eyes grew big.

"Coach I don't know what you're talking." Jace said as Lucas smiled.

"Jace, you're on varsity." Lucas said as Jace's complete attitude changed. "You should call your parents and let them know. They are gonna be proud." He said.

"Thanks Coach Scott!" Jace said excitedly.

"Well, today at practice is shirt verse skins. I am bringing you on as my three point shooter. I was looking at your stats." Lucas said. "You're good, but don't get cocky. You are the only sophomore on the team, don't let it go to your head." He said as Jace nodded.

"Yes sir." Jace said. "Is that all coach? I have a test next class." He said.

"Yeah that's it." Lucas said. "Oh wait…how is Jake?" He asked.

"He's good." Jace said. "He actually has full custody of Jenny now. Nicki is out of the picture after being caught with drugs. He is in the process of moving back to Tree Hill. He wants Jenny to grow up in his hometown, but also around her family." He said as Lucas nodded. "It is gonna be really cool to see Jenny every day." He said.

"How old is she now?" Lucas asked.

"She's seven." Jace said.

"Wow." Lucas said.

"Yeah. I can't believe it either." Jace said as he started getting up. "See you at practice?" He said.

"Yep." Lucas said as Jace left. Lucas continued to work and then Quentin came into the office.

"Coach Scott." Quentin said as Lucas looked up.

"Hey Q sit down." Lucas said as Quentin sat. "So, I pulled up a player from JV to take Weston's place." He said as Quentin nodded.

"Jagielski?" Quentin asked.

"Actually, yeah." Lucas said.

"He's better than some of your current guys." Quentin said.

"Well, we have different plays and I need you to go over them with him." Lucas said.

"Can do." Quentin said as he got up.

"Hey Q." Lucas said as Quentin looked back at him. "I'm proud of you. Very proud. You have come a long way." He said.

"Thanks Coach Scott." Quentin said as he left. Lucas smiled and then continued to work.

Brooke looked up at the clock and then back at her drawing. She didn't want to be late picking Lily up from preschool. As she was drawing Millie walked into the store.

"Hi Brooke!" Millie said as she set down the mail. "How are the new designs coming?" She asked.

"Almost….d…done!" Brooke said as she finished the designs with a smile. She got up and then walked to the safe in the back and set them in it. She locked it and then walked back into the main area.

"So you are finished?" Millie asked with a smile.

"Yep!" Brooke said as she started straightening most of the clothes. Millie watched her and Brooke stopped. "What's up?" She asked.

"I just think it is amazing that you are so helpful." Millie said as Brooke smiled.

"Thanks." Brooke said as an alarm on her phone went off. "Well, I gotta go." Brooke said as Millie nodded. Brooke walked out to her car and got in. She drove to the preschool and parked. She saw Jamie leaving with Carrie. She stopped and said hi and then went inside. She walked into the classroom and saw Lily was coloring with a couple other girls. She smiled as Glenda walked up to her.

"Brooke?" Glenda said as Brooke looked at Glenda.

"Oh my gosh! Glenda!" Brooke said as they hugged. "How are you?" She said.

"I'm good and you." Glenda said.

"Great!" Brooke said with a soft smile. "So which one is yours?" She asked as she looked at her.

"None, sadly." Glenda said as she sighed. Brooke then looked at her. "Oh, I am the preschool teacher." She said with a smile.

"Oh okay!" Brooke said.

"You are here for Lily Scott, correct?" Glenda said.

"Yeah, just helping out an old friend." Brooke said as Glenda nodded.

"Do you know if her father is going to be dropping her off on Thursday or picking her up?" Glenda asked.

"Uh, I don't know about Thursday morning but Thursday afternoon I will be picking her up. Why?" Brooke asked.

"Well today, Lily was in reading time and I just have a couple questions." Glenda said.

"Such as?" Brooke asked.

"Does she know how to read?" Glenda asked.

"Yes." Brooke said as she thought about the mass text Lucas had sent out when Lily read her first book.

"Oh, well does she get stuck on her words? Does she not know how to form them?" Glenda asked.

"Well she is four." Brooke said. "Some words will be difficult for her to form or pronounce." She said as she started to get defensive of Lily. Brooke was a little upset about what Glenda was saying.

"I just think that she might learn differently." Glenda said as Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Because she doesn't fit into your stupid box." Brooke said as she looked over at Lily. "Lily, are you ready?" She asked as Lily walked over with her backpack, lunch and drawing.

"Yes." Lily said as Brooke grabbed Lily's hand.

"Good day." Brooke said to Glenda as the two left. Brooke helped Lily into the back seat and then got in. They drove to the pier and she parked. Brooke helped her out and they walked to get ice cream. "What kind do you like?" She asked.

"Strawberry!" Lily said as Brooke smiled.

"One strawberry cone." Brooke said as the guy made it and then handed it to her. "Thanks." She said as the two girls walked to a table and sat down.

"Thank you." Lily said as she started to eat it.

"So how was preschool?" Brooke asked as she looked at the little girl. Lily was sitting on her legs that where in the seat.

"It was fun!" Lily said with a sweet voice. "We played games inside and outside. We also read and colored." She said as Brooke smiled.

"So how was reading?" Brooke asked.

"Good." Lily said as she shrugged. Brooke laughed a little as they continued to talk. After Lily finished her ice cream it was almost three. They gathered their things and then walked back to the car. "Brooke." She said as Brooke started the car.

"Yes sweetheart?" Brooke said.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked.

"To the high school where your daddy works." Brooke said.

"Oh." Lily said with a sigh.

"Why?" Brooke said.

"I like being with you." Lily said. "Girl time." She said as Brooke smiled. She also loved being around Lily.

"Well, how about we go to the park for an hour." Brooke said as Lily smiled.

"Yeah!" Lily said as Brooke giggled. She then drove to the park. As they got out there were many different kids from the preschool there. One of the kids was Madison Landry. As Lily went and played Brooke sat down next to Madison's mom.

"Which is yours?" Mrs. Landry asked. Brooke thought about how to answer this question and then smiled.

"That one." Brooke said as she pointed Lily out. "Her name is Lily."

"Oh you are Lily's mom?" Kate said as she looked at Brooke. Brooke was a little nervous to answer the question.

"Her dad is my best friend." Brooke said. "Why?"

"Well, since we have left the school it had been none stop talk of how much fun Lily and Madison had together today. Madison is mine." Kate said as Brooke nodded. "Can I have Lily's father information?" She asked.

"Oh sure!" Brooke said as she started giving it to her.

"They will definitely have to have a play date." Kate said with a smile. "Do you know if she is involved in any activities?" She asked.

"Well typically on Tuesdays she would be in basketball. Wednesday she has dance and then Thursdays she will be in art." Brooke said as Kate smiled even bigger.

"Then the girls will become great friends then!" Kate said as Brooke nodded. She was really enjoying being around Lily more than her work. Kate then got up and left with Madison. Brooke let Lily play for a little longer and then called her over.

"Ready to go see your daddy?" Brooke asked as Lily smiled really big.

"Yeah!" Lily said as she jumped. Brooke laughed as the two walked to the car. They got in and she drove to the high school. At the time they arrived there was only about 45 minutes left in the practice. They walked in together and Lucas smiled as he saw the two walked in. He walked up to them and told Lily to sit down on the bleachers. He thanked Brooke and watched her leave. As he turned around most of his players and even the coaches were staring. It was very obvious that Lucas had strong feelings for her.

"Um…get back to practice." Lucas said as the players continued their drills. He looked over at Lily and smiled. He hadn't seen her since he dropped her off. To him he felt like it had been days. Practice continued and by the end of it Lily was playing on the bleachers. Lucas ended practice and walked over to Lily. He smiled as he picked her up. "Ready to go home?" He asked.

"Yeah!" She said as he kissed her cheek. He then set her down and she grabbed her backpack and lunch box. He reached for her hand and they started to head out to the car. He helped her into her seat and then got in his. He started to drive home and he smiled to himself.

"So did you life preschool?" He asked.

"Yeah!" She said super happy.

"Make any friends?" He asked.

"I played with two girls all day." She said as he nodded.

"That's fun. Do you remember their names?" He asked.

"Madison and Callie." She said.

"Did you play with Jamie?" He asked.

"Yeah, we sit at the same table." She said.

"How many are at each table?" He asked.

"Four." She replied. He nodded as they pulled into the driveway. They got out and walked inside. This was the first time that they had both been home since they left this morning. Lucas walked into the kitchen to start dinner.

"Lily, come here." He called out but no reply. He again called her name out and didn't hear a reply. He stopped what he was doing and walked down the hall. He walked into her room and found Lily playing in her room. "Lily, did you hear me calling you?" He asked.

"Yes." She said as he was caught off guard.

"Why didn't you listen?" He asked.

"I didn't want to." She said as she continued to play with her Barbie doll. He looked at her and then groaned.

"That is not what we do in this house." He said as she nodded.

"I'm sorry." She said.

"It's okay." He said. "But come on." He said as he reached out for her hand. She got up and carried her doll with her. They walked into the kitchen together and he pointed to her chair. She got in it and there were two books on her place mat.

"What's this?" She asked.

"You're homework." He said. "You are supposed to read two books after preschool each day." He said as she sighed. He laughed a bit as she opened the book. She began to read aloud and every couple words Lucas would correct her. She finished her first book as Lucas set down their plates. He had made spaghetti and meatballs. They ate and talked. He was very happy that Lily loved preschool. As they finished eating Lily started walking to her room. "Hey hold on there." He said as he heard her groan. He had never experienced this with Lily. She normally listened very well. "We have to read the other book." He said as she stomped her foot.

"I don't want to." She demanded as he sighed. He took a deep breath and got down on her level.

"Lily, I know you don't like it but your gonna get better." He said as she whined. He really didn't want to get on to her right now but she was leaving him no choice. "Lily you can either read your book right now or you can read it after you get done with time out." He said as she made a face at him. "Okay, after time out it is." He said as he stood up and grabbed her hand.

"I'm sorry. I wanna read." She said as they walked into his room.

"I'm sorry Lily. I asked you more than once to read the book." He said as he pointed at the corner of the wall in his room that was by his desk. She started to cry as she stood in the corner. He then walked out of the room. He went into the living room and sat down. He started to read the newspaper and could hear muffled crying coming from his room. As he continued to read the article the crying had stopped. He looked at the time on the clock and continued to read. As he finished the article he folded the newspaper and got up. He walked into his bedroom and sat down on his bed. "Ready to read now?" He asked. She nodded and he motioned for her walked over to him. He grabbed the book off his bed and picked her up. He set her down on his lap and she hugged him. He smiled and then opened up the book. "We've read this book together before." He said as he looked at her. "Can you read the name?" He asked.

"Biscuit!" Lily said with a smile. He nodded and they started to read the book. Lucas had bought Lily four Biscuit books and she really enjoyed them. Since then He would read the books to her almost every night. As they finished reading Lucas smiled again.

"Time to take a bath." He said as they walked to the bathroom. He helped her take a bath and then dried her off. He then helped her into her pjs and brushed her hair. As he walked back to the bathroom to put the brush back his phone rang. "Hello?" He said into his phone. He listened to the voice on the other side and realized that he had forgotten about his list of errands he needed to complete. He buried himself into his job today that he didn't take care of any of them. He sighed as he hung up and walked into Lily's room. "Lily daddy has to run some errands. Can you put on a pair of shoes?" He asked. He watched as the child walked to the closet. He smiled and walked to the fridge. He grabbed the list of errands and read them to himself. '1. Pick up dry cleaners. 2. Pick up vitamins from the drug store. 3. Get oil changed. 4. Make bank deposit. 5. Pay bills. 6. Return already late books to the library.' He crossed the bank off since it was closed and the oil change since he had Lily. He finished making his new list when Lily walked into the kitchen. "Ready to go?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said as he walked back to her room. He grabbed her favorite blanket and her teddy bear. He walked back to his daughter with a smile.

"Now we are ready." He said as she smiled and grabbed her teddy bear. He smiled as he held her hand. They walked out to the car. They got in and Lucas started driving.

-"Daddy where are we going?" She asked.

"To the pharmacy, the utility company, the library, and the dry cleaners." He said as she groaned a little. He hated taking Lily with him on errands because she would get very bored. As they drove he was listening to her talk. He pulled into the pharmacy parking lot. He parked and they walked in together. He was holding her hand as they walked in. He grabbed a basket and walked down the isle he needed. As he was reading the different bottles, Lily kept knocking things over. He finally found the victims for him and then some for Lily. He picked up what she was knocking over and then picked her up. He walked to the line and held her the entire time. He paid and then walked put to the car. He put Lily in the back and she got into her seat. He got into his seat and started to drive to the next location. As he was driving he could feel Lily kicking his chair. "Lily stop kicking." He said as he felt the kicking continue. "Did you hear me?" He asked.

"Yes." She said back as he groaned.

"Then stop." He said.

"No." She said with a little attitude. He cleared his throat as he pulled up to the red light.

"Lily stop kicking my chair or I will turn the car around." He said sternly.

"No." She said as he let out a deep breath. He then pulled over into a parking lot. He got out of the car and slammed his door. He yelled as he stood outside of his car. He was so frustrated with Lily but also himself. A part of him was still missing Lindsey and the other part hated that part for missing her. He finally calmed down and opened Lily's door. She had watched him and was a little scared. He bent down and looked at her.

"This is how it's going to go. We are going to finish the errands on my list and then we are going home. When we get home it's bedtime. Not play time. Not snack time. Not dessert time. It's bed time." He said sternly. "Understand?" He asked.

"Yes sir." She said as he kissed her cheek. He then closed the car door and opened his. He got in and continued running his errands. They finally finished and he sighed as he pulled into the garage. They both got out and Lily started to walk inside. He watched her walk inside and he sighed again. He was upset that he was so quick to get angry with her. He walked inside and down the hall to her room. She was already in bed with her blanket over her head. He walked into her room and sat down on her bed.

"Sweetie." He said as he started to rub her back.

"Yes?" She said quietly. He smiled as he removed the blanket from her head.

"Can I read you a book before bed?" He asked.

"No. It's bed time." She stated as he sighed. He sometimes hated how she would take what he said so seriously.

"Okay sweetie." He said as he stood up and tucked her in. He put her teddy bear next to her and kissed her goodnight. He then turned on her nightlight and he walked to his room. He changed into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. He then sat down at his computer and started editing his book. There weren't very many edits he had to make. He then started to email different publishers. He finished emailing them and then grabbed a book from his shelf. He walked over to his bed and sat down on it. His back was against his headboard and his legs were lying straight out. He started reading his book and looked at the clock. It was only 8:30. He continued to read his book and got up to check his the locks. He locked the house and then went back to his room. He sat back down and continued to read his book. Time started to pass and he turned his lamp off. He then laid down and was about to fall asleep when he heard little foot steps come up to his door. He heard his door open and then a light tap on his back. He sat up and turned his light on. It was now 11. He looked at Lily and he saw that there were tears streaming down her face. "Honey what's wrong?" He asked as he picked her up and set her down next to him.

"I had a bad dream." She said as she wiped her face.

"Aw princess. What was it about?" He asked as he wiped her tears.

"The monsters came back." She said as he smiled.

"Well the monsters are gone now. I am here." He said as he wrapped his arm around her. "Want me to go check your room?" He asked as he started to get up but he stopped when he felt her hand tightly grip his shirt. He sat back down and he looked at her. "How about you can sleep in my room tonight." He said as she nodded. He smiled as he got up and went to her room. He grabbed her blanket and teddy bear. He then turned off her light and shut the door. He walked into his room and saw Lily had made herself comfortable. He smiled as he sat down on the bed. He then tucked her in and laid down on the side of the bed that was by the door. He turned the light off and felt Lily get closer. He smiled as he started to rub her back. "Sweetie, you're fine." He said as he continued to talk to her. He heard her breathing her lighter and softer. He smiled as she finally fell asleep. He then quickly fell asleep after her.

 **Hope y'all like this chapter! Let me know! -M**


	10. The Beginning of Us

"Wwwwwwwaaaaaaake up!" Lucas said as he walked into Lily's bedroom. Lily was under her blanket and popped out as Lucas sat down on the bed. "Do you know what today is?" He asked.

"I get to stay with uncle Nathan and aunt Haley!" Lily said with a huge smile, he then chuckled.

"Well, yes. But, it is also the first game day of the year." He said excitedly.

"Oh, yeah." She said as he shook his head. He was a little bothered that his daughter had no interest in sports.

"Well, what do you want to do today?" He asked as he got up and walked to her closet. He grabbed the white jeans Brooke had brought her and then a black ravens basketball shirt.

"Brooke!" She said.

"You like hanging out with aunt Brooke?" He asked.

"We get ice cream, nails, shopping and she tells me things." She said.

"What kind of things?" He asked.

"Uh…" She said as she thought about it. "No one can take away my knowled…" She trailed off.

"Knowledge?" He asked as she nodded. "Well, that is very true. How does spending the day with uncle Nathan and your cousin Jamie?" He said with a smile.

"Yeah!" She said with a smile. He nodded and then put the clothes down on her bed and left. She got dressed and then walked to the kitchen. Nathan and Jamie were in the kitchen. Lily climbed into her chair next to Jamie.

"Hi Lily!" Jamie said.

"Hi Jamie!" Lily said.

"My dad and your dad are taking us to the River court!" Jamie said with a big smile.

"Cool." She said as Lucas set two pancakes down in front of her. Lucas then sat down and ate breakfast with everyone. Nathan looked at Lucas and Lucas shook his head. As they ate the kids talked to each other while the adults talked to each other.

"So has Haley had a chance to finish my book?" Lucas asked as Nathan put food into his mouth. Nathan nodded as he swallowed.

"Yeah, she finished it last night." Nathan said.

"And…?" Lucas asked.

"She liked it a lot." Nathan said. "She cried, laugh and even got mad at parts. She said she was rooting for the main character the entire time. She really wants to know how it ends." He said.

"How it ends?" Lucas asked. "It ends with the girl discovering who she is." He said a little confused.

"Haley said you would say that." Nathan laughed.

"What does that mean?" Lucas asked.

"What genre is your book?" Nathan asked.

"I am going to classify it as a inner conflict." Lucas said.

"Haley said it should be romance. She is also very mad that you never named the main character." Nathan said.

"Well yeah, the entire book is based on the journal that the girl kept through out her life." Lucas said. "The book is just a bunch of diary entries." He said.

"Yeah she loves it, but hates that the character is never named." Nathan said. "Why didn't you name the main character?" He asked.

"I couldn't think of one that would be fitting enough for the bright and beautiful mystery girl." Lucas said as Nathan shook his head.

"Well get ready for Haley to be mad." Nathan said as Lucas laughed.

"Looking forward to it." Lucas joked. They finished eating and Lucas cleaned up the kitchen while Nathan was in the back yard with the kids. The kids were playing on the playground that Lucas and Nathan had put together one weekend. Lucas walked outside and saw the kids playing together. He smiled as he sat down next to Nathan on the bench.

"It is great that they are such great friends." Nathan said as Lucas nodded.

"I'm sure we would have been great friends if…" Lucas started to say.

"If Dan weren't such a dick." Nathan said.

"Yeah." Lucas nodded. "I feel bad." He said quietly.

"Bad about what?" Nathan asked.

"How Lily is going to grow up." Lucas said as Nathan looked at Lily then at Lucas.

"She is going to grow up perfectly fine." Nathan said.

"Well…I'm just…I'm just not…" Lucas said as he looked at Nathan. "I'm not Keith." He said.

"Luke, you were raised by Keith. You have Keith in every thought process." Nathan said as Lucas nodded. Nathan then put his hand on Lucas' shoulder. "You can't always think about this though. Yeah, Lily is being raised by her brother, BUT she is never gonna see you as her brother. She will only see you as her dad." He said. "You have a whole army helping you. Me, Haley, Skills, Mouth, Junk, Fergie, Peyton and now Brooke. Everyone is here to help you." He said as Lucas sighed.

"I just…don't want to be alone." Lucas said as Nathan patted his shoulder.

"Lucas, look." Nathan said. "I knew that Lindsey wasn't going to be the right person. I also had no idea you were going to propose to her. When you announced it, I decided that I was just going to be happy for you. But, you love someone else. It's obvious. " He said as Lily came running up.

"Jamie fell!" Lily said really fast. Both boys got up and ran over to where Jamie was. He hadn't fallen off anything but had tripped while they were running on the play equipment. Nathan and Lucas helped Jamie up. He hadn't hurt himself except for a little cut on his hand. The guys walked inside with Jamie and put a Band-Aid on it.

"You okay buddy?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah." Jamie said with a smile.

"Ready to go to the River Court?" Lucas asked.

"YEAH!" Jamie said excitedly. Lucas smiled as he walked back to his room. His room was very well kept. He always made his bed each morning and everything had its place. His wallet, keys and watch were always neatly placed on his desk that sat across from his bed. He had stayed in his old bedroom and put most of his mom's things into storage. He put his watch on, and then put his wallet in his back pocket. He then grabbed his keys and walked out of his room. He walked into the living room where everyone was waiting for him.

"Everyone ready?" Lucas asked.

"Dad said I could ride with you!" Jamie said with a smile.

"Alrighty! Party in my car." Lucas joke as he reached for Lily's hand.

"I'm riding with uncle Nathan." Lily said as Nathan laughed. Nathan reached for Lily's hand and Lily grabbed his. He smiled and made a face at Lucas.

"She likes me better!" Nathan said as he walked out the front door. They walked out to the car and he helped her into the car. He shut the door and then got in the front seat. He started the car and then started to drive. "Are you excited to go to the River Court?" He asked in a happy tone.

"No." Lily said as she looked out the window.

"Why?" He asked as he looked in the rear view mirror at his niece.

"There's nothing to do there." She said as he laughed.

"Except for basketball." He said.

"I don't like basketball." She said as he sighed.

"Why?" He asked. Lily then scrunched up her nose. This was her thinking face.

"I don't know." She said as he nodded.

"Is it because you aren't very good?" He asked.

"No." She said. "Daddy said everything takes practice." She said as she stumbled on the word practice.

"Well your daddy is right." He said. "So why don't you like it?" He asked.

"It's Jamie's thing." She said as it caught Nathan off guard.

"Oh…" He said as they pulled up to the River court. He was actually very disappointed that Lily felt left out, but he understood why. There hadn't been a girl in the family for many generations. The Scott family has always focused on basketball and the boys in the family. He got out of the car and then helped Lily out of the back seat. They walked up to the court while Nathan dribbled his ball. He had been working with Quentin for a while and as much as he protested, he had to admit he was making a small comeback. As he started shooting Lucas and Jamie pulled up. Lily was jumping off the picnic bench. Lucas walked up and looked at Lily. She stopped jumping off and he handed her a jump rope. She grabbed it and started to play with it. He walked over to Jamie and Nathan and started shooting around with them.

"Nice one J-Luke!" Lucas said with a smile.

"Thanks Uncle Lucas." Jamie said as he continued to dribble. Nathan smiled as he watched his son. He then looked over at Lily. She was playing with one of the extra balls that Lucas had brought with him. Lucas continued to shoot around as he heard Lily giggle. He turned around and saw Skills playing with her. He laughed.

"Bout time you showed up." Lucas called out.

"Well, I had to move some things around and make a few changes." Skills said.

"What could you have possibly moved around?" Lucas joke.

"Well for starters you should take Lily and Jamie out of that stupid basketball class you put them in." Skills said.

"Why?" Nathan asked as the guys walked over to the picnic table and sat down. Jamie had followed them and grabbed Lily's hand.

"Come on Lily. Let's play!" Jamie said as the two ran onto the court together.

"So seriously why should we take them out? We want them to spend time together." Lucas said.

"Well, they should join my new team the Lil Ravens." Skills said. "I enjoy teaching both of them the sport so why not do it for more of Jamie and Lily's friends." He said as both dads nodded. "So practice will be in the high school gym on Tuesdays and Wednesdays form 5:15 to 6:15. There are seven games a season since there are eight teams. The games are Saturday mornings." He said as he looked at them both. "Sooooo…what do you guys say?" He asked.

"How did you get the gym approved? You have to go through me." Lucas said very confused.

"Oh I just had you sign a bunch of papers. I knew you wouldn't mind." Skills said as Lucas laughed.

"True." Lucas said. "Well, I'm in. I think it would be better if Lily is taught by someone she knows, like her godfather." He said.

"Well, of course Jamie will be there." Nathan said as Skills smiled.

"Great!" Skills said as he watched the two kids dribble balls around the court. "Remember when that was us?" He said as he looked at Lucas.

"Like it was yesterday." Lucas smiled. "Junk and Fergie would be watching, Mouth would be announcing and we would be playing." He smiled.

"Yeah and Nathan was probably beating up some innocent guy." Skills joked.

"I wasn't that bad." Nathan said as both Lucas and Skills laughed. "Yeah you're right. I was that bad." He said as he shook his head.

"Don't worry. Jamie won't turn out like that." Lucas said as Nathan looked at him.

"You think?" Nathan asked.

"You aren't Dan. Plus he has a hell of an uncle." Lucas said as he got up and ran out to the kids. He picked Lily up and held her with one arm over his shoulder. "Jamie…have you seen Lily?" He asked as Lily laughed.

"She's right there!" Jamie said as he pointed at Lily.

"Right where?" Lucas asked as he turned around to see if Lily was behind him.

"Right there uncle Lucas!" Jamie said as he pointed at Lily again.

"Where?" Lucas said as he turned in a circle.

"There!" Jamie said as Lucas set Lily down.

"Oh! There!" Lucas said with a huge smile. He then bent down and put one knee on the ground. "So uncle Skills is gonna be your new basketball coach. How does that sound?" He asked.

"Fun!" Jamie said as he looked at Lily. He frowned a bit. He really wanted to enjoy the sport with her.

"Fun." Lily said with not as much excitement. Lucas kissed Lily's cheek as he got up.

"A few more minutes and then we will be leaving." Lucas said to both kids as they continued to play together. Lucas walked over to them and sat down. He smiled as he watched them. "So Carrie is gonna watch the kids for the rest of the day?" He asked.

"Yeah, I have to go to therapy and don't y'all have to get ready for the first game tonight?" Nathan asked.

"Yep." Lucas said with a laugh. He then looked over at Skills. "You need a ride…don't you." He asked.

"Yep." Skills said with a grin.

"Well we should probably get going." Lucas said as they all got up. Lucas walked over to the kids and started walking with them to Nathan's car. Lily was standing next to Lucas holding his hand. He got down and hugged her. "I'll see you at the game?" He said as she made a face.

"But…" She said. "I wanna go with you." She said as Lucas sighed. He picked her up and walked over to the tree while he talked to her.

"I know that you want to go with me, but you can't." Lucas said as he continued to walk around. "I'll see you at the game and then after you spend the night with uncle Nathan and aunt Haley we will have the whole weekend together, plus I don't have anything scheduled for next weekend so we get to send the time together." He said as he set her down. She had her arms crossed and her face was scrunched.

"But I wanna be with you now!" She said as she stomped her foot.

"Lily stop." Lucas said. "I know you do but I have to work." He said as he tried to uncross her arms.

"No." She said as she pushed his arms away. He took a deep breath and let it out.

"Lily this is going to stop right now." He said sternly. "I know you want to be with me but I am going to work." He said as she uncrossed her arms. Even though she was young she knew how to push his buttons and when she should stop. "You are gonna go with uncle Nathan and be on your best behavior for nanny Carrie. Okay?" He said.

"Yes sir." She said sadly. He sighed and then hugged her. She hugged him back and he sighed again. They walked back to the car together and he helped her into Nathan's car. As Nathan left Lucas got into his car. He slammed the door closed and sighed. He then hit the steering wheel. As he did this Skills got into the car.

"Luke calm down." Skills said as Lucas took a deep breath.

"I should be with Lily not working." Lucas said.

"So you should be making no money while raising a four year old?" Skills asked. "Smart plan." He stated.

"I just used my 'keep this up and you're in trouble' voice on her. I never have to use it. She has been acting out a lot lately. Last night she went to bed an hour early because she wouldn't listen to me. The day before she had told me no more than she had ever in her life. It is like she is trying to make me mad so that I won't leave her." Lucas sighed.

"Luke, of course she is doing that. She is used to seeing you every day and now that the season has started she doesn't see you. She barely sees anyone other than Brooke, Nathan and Haley." Skills said.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Lucas asked.

"Honestly, this is a Haley question." Skills sighed. He could feel the struggle that Lucas was going through. Lucas nodded and then pulled out and started to drive. He drove to the high school and they both got out. Lucas had given Skills an office since he was now the freshmen head basketball coach, but the assistant head coach of the varsity team. As they enter the locker room some of the JV players were getting dressed. They had their practices during school hours. Lucas and Skills both went into their own offices, which were next to each other. Lucas sat down in his chair and went over some of his voicemails from his players' parents. He had scheduled a morning practice the next morning and many parents were not appreciating how much basketball he was enforcing in their sons' lives. After he finished the phone calls it was almost lunchtime. He gathered his things and made his way towards Haley's classroom. Once he got there the bell rang for lunch. He stood outside the door while the students left the classroom. As the classroom emptied he walked into the classroom.

"And how is Mrs. Scott doing today?" Lucas asked as Haley laughed.

"Better, now that I have a month of teaching under my belt." Haley said as Lucas sat down in the in a chair.

"I need to talk to you." He sighed.

"Okay…?" She said a little confused.

"It's about Lily." He said as she nodded.

"Wanna go to your office and talk?" She offered. There really wasn't room to enjoy their conversations. They both got up and walked to the teachers lounge to receive any mail. They then left and walked to Lucas' office. Once they got there they both got comfortable and started to eat. "You were saying." She said.

"Well, lately Lily has been acting out. A lot. It started Wednesday, a little bit yesterday and then again today. She is developing a really bad temper and attitude." He said.

"Luke, her personality is developing. I know that isn't a very good answer but she is also seeing how far she can push you." She said.

"And that's it?" He asked.

"Well, you haven't been spending as much time with her as you used to…but that is because the season has started and that is completely understandable. It is more noticeable because..." She said as he cut her off.

"Because I'm single." He said as she sighed.

"Luke, I didn't mean it…" She said as he laughed.

"Honestly it's fine." He said.

"So your book…I finished it." She said as she handed it to him. There were a couple of red marks through out it.

"And…?" He asked.

"You didn't name the girl." She said.

"Well, I wasn't planning on it. It is a look into her diary." He said.

"I have a name for you." She said as the bell rang.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Brooke Davis." She said as she got up. "The book is about Brooke. The book is about the love you are hiding from her." She said as she left. He looked at his door and then down at his book. He started to read some of it and then thought to himself. As he read some of the errors he laughed.

"Is my book really about Brooke?" He asked aloud as Skills walked by the office. Skills popped in with a grin.

"If I was to guess your book is definitely about Brooke." Skills said as Lucas laughed. He then shook his head as Skills left the locker room.


	11. Is it the end of us?

The final bell rang and all of the varsity players walked into the gym. Lucas was shooting around while they made themselves comfortable. Lucas turned around and looked at all of his players. Most of the players didn't know he was still as good as he said he was. Lucas put the ball down and turned to his team. "Are you guys ready for tonight?" Lucas asked. "We are playing the Pickmen. And let me tell you this is important game. Anyone know why?" He asked.

"Cuz they suck." Russell said

"Well yeah, but me and the other Coach Scott have always hated them. So tonight I plan on winning." Lucas said as the guys nodded. He looked around at the players. "Alright be back at 5:30." He said. "You guys will be watching the JV team today." He said as most of the players groaned. Jace was actually pretty excited to watch them. "Stop this. We are a unit. I could have you stay for the freshmen game that starts at 4." He said as must of the guys stopped groaning. "See you back here at 5:30." He said as he dismissed them. As they started to leave Lucas stopped Jace. "Follow me." He said as Jace followed his coach to the office.

"Yes, coach?" Jace said as they sat down in his office.

"Nervous?" Lucas asked.

"No." Jace said.

"Why?" Lucas asked as he grabbed the jersey he placed out for Jace. He was giving him Jake's old number. He handed it to him and Jace smiled.

"Thanks coach. I was hoping for 39!" Jace said as he set it down. "Well, I'm not nervous because basketball was the one thing that really connected me and Jake. We are six years apart so we always hit things at different times. He would be involved with things years before I could even do them. Once I could do them Jake wasn't interested, but Jake was always in the mood to teach me everything he knew about basketball. That's what we bonded over." He said as Lucas nodded.

"So me giving you Jake's number means more than I would have known." Lucas said as Jace nodded.

"Yeah! Thanks so much coach!" Jace said as some of the players walked to Lucas' door. Since Jace was only a sophomore it was very obvious when he would stand next to the other players. Lucas' team was made up mainly of seniors.

"Hey coach is Jace done?" Austin asked as Lucas looked up from their conversation.

"Uh yeah. Why?" Lucas asked.

"We want him to come to team dinner at The Shack." Noah said.

"Team tradition." Quentin said as he walked by the door. Lucas nodded as Jace got up. The JV and freshmen teams always talked about going with the varsity team. He watched them leave and then grabbed his things. He was wearing khaki pants and a black ravens polo. His shirt was tucked in and was wearing a black belt. He had his suit in his office. He walked out to the gym and it looked like he had stepped back in time. The chairs were all lined up and the press table was out. He sat down at the press table near the Ravens' bench. As the freshmen game started he sat at the table keeping the scorebook. The game came to an end and it was the first Raven win of the night. He got up and walked to the bleachers where his team normally met. One by one the players started walking out in their black warms ups. They all sat around Lucas and started watching the freshmen warm up. The game was about to start when Nathan walked in with Jamie and Lily. He walked with the kids over to Lucas. Nathan sat down and Jamie walked over to Quentin and sat down. Lily sat down in between Nathan and Lucas. Lucas then looked down at Lily and smiled.

"Did you have fun today?" Lucas asked as Lily nodded. She was a little stressed out with some much switching of who was watching her and Jamie. He smiled as he picked her up and set her down in his lap. He then hand her his pencil and turned to the very back page of his playbook. He smiled as he watched her write and draw. As he was doing this, the players watched him.

"He's a really good dad." Austin said.

"He's so different with her." Russell added.

"What do you mean different?" Quentin asked.

"He doesn't yell at her." Austin said as some of the players nodded.

"Why would he yell at her in the middle of a gym?" Quentin asked. "She hasn't done anything plus I don't think he is the type of dad that yells." He said.

"He yells at us." Mark said as he joined the conversation.

"Well yeah." Jace said. "We are his players not his daughter." He said as they all continued to watch him. Lucas was trying not to laugh. He could hear the entire conversation being held behind him.

"How is he a single dad and a great coach?" Russell said.

"It's like he doesn't sleep." Austin added.

"I couldn't do it." Quentin said.

"Same. Being a dad. That seems like a lot of work." Mark said.

"Oh I was talking about having to deal with us." Quentin laughed. The players laughed as Lucas turned around.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Lucas asked.

"Uhh…" Most of the players said. "Coach we uh."

"Guys it's fine. I know y'all don't see me with my daughter much." Lucas said as the game started. After half time was over the players all went to the locker room. This included Skills, Nathan, Jamie and Lucas. Lucas had told Jamie that he could walk out with the team and sit on the bench with them. By this time Lily had already been with Haley, Brooke and Peyton.

"So what did you do baby Scott?" Brooke asked as she pulled Lily onto her lap.

"Played with nanny Carrie." Lily said.

"Do you like her?" Haley asked as Lily shook her head. The continued to talk until the varsity team came out. The game had started and the Ravens were losing. At halftime Lucas was mad and his players knew it. When the players walked out of the locker room, it was very obvious on their faces that Lucas had spent the entire ten minutes yelling at them for everything they did wrong. Once the second quarter started the players finally started to turn around. The game was quickly fading and the Ravens were down by two. There was ten seconds left as Quentin brought the ball up. He looked around for an open player and saw Jace on the three-point line. Quentin passed the ball to Jace. Jace lined up his shot and as the ball left his finger tips the buzzer went off. The whole gym stood as they watched the ball as it moved towards the goal. The whole gym cheered as the ball went in. The whole team ran over to Jace and was jumping up and down. As Haley and Brooke cheered Peyton saw a familiar face cheering. She ran down to the man and was in shock.

"Jake!" Peyton said as Jake turned. He was a little caught off guard too. He knew she moved back but he didn't think he would see her the first night he was back.

"Peyton." Jake said as the world stopped around them. It seemed like they were the only two in the whole gym. As they talked Lucas went to find Lily. She was with Haley.

"Daddy won!" Lucas said as Lily hugged him.

"Hi Daddy!" Lily said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled as he hugged her tighter and then unbuttoned his jacket. He then sat down on the bleacher and set her on his lap. He talked to her for a while and then Nathan walked up to them. Haley and Jamie had already left.

"Ready to go Lily?" Nathan asked as Lucas looked up from talking to Lily.

"No." Lily said as Lucas looked at her.

"Lily, I already told you that you are gonna spend the night with Uncle Nathan and Aunt Haley." Lucas said as Nathan looked down. He knew this was gonna end in a very ugly fight.

"No." Lily said strongly. "I wanna stay with you."

"Lily, no. I have to stay here and work." Lucas said as he sighed. He then looked at Nathan. "Let's head out to my car and I'll get her bag." He said as he stood up and carried Lily as they walked out. They got to the car and Mouth grabbed her bag.

"I'm just parked right over there." Mouth said as he pointed at his car. They started walking to the car and Lucas could feel Lily's grip getting tighter. He sighed as they got to the car. He started to rub her back as he sighed again.

"Lily, daddy has to go now. I will see you in the morning." Lucas said as he looked at Nathan to help him. Nathan reached out for Lily and pulled her off of him. Nathan motioned for Lucas to walk away as Lily cried. Lucas sighed as he heard Nathan cheering up Lily. Lucas then started walking towards the gym. He knew he was in for a long night in his office. He walked to his office and sat down. Brooke had followed him. She walked into the boy's locker room and then into Lucas' office. Lucas was sitting at his computer pulling in the camera. He looked up as Brooke walked into his office. She was wearing a black fitted dress with blue heels. He smiled as she sat down in the chair across his desk.

"Hi Brooke." Lucas said as she smiled.

"Hi Luke." Brooke said as he smiled again. "Great game tonight!" She said.

"Thanks." He said.

"Did you see Peyton and Jake?" She asked.

"Ha, yeah I did." He said as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm happy for her. She deserves to be happy. She has missed Jake every single day since he left."

"I know! But the way they locked eyes was just incredible." She said. "She wouldn't have known he was at the game if Jace didn't score the winning goal."

"Yeah, that's why I moved him up." He said.

"So Peyton and Jake would see each other again?" She asked a little confused.

"No." He laughed. "He is great under pressure. He is a lot like Jake. Speaking of Peyton, where did she go? I was expecting both of y'all to come see me." He said.

"With Jake." She said as she looked down and saw a picture of Lily. She looked back up with a smile. "Luke, can we talk about us?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think that is a good idea." He said as he got up and shut his door. Most of the players had just walked into the locker room. He then closed the blinds on both the door window and the window itself. He walked back to his desk and sat down on the front half. He looked at her and smiled.

"Haley said, that I need to ask about your new book?" She said as he chuckled a bit. He then picked up the copy that Haley had given him that morning to make edits.

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you've never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You share hopes for the future, dreams that will never come true, goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you. When something wonderful happens, you can't wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement. They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself. Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful. There is never any pressure, jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around. You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are. The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note, song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever. Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it's like being young again. Colors seem brighter and more brilliant. Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn't exist at all. A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day's work and always brings a smile to your face. In their presence, there's no need for continuous conversation, but you find you're quite content in just having them nearby. Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you. You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do. Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky, gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon. You open your heart knowing that there's a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart, you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible. You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that's so real it scares you. You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate that will remain loyal to the end. Life seems completely different, exciting and worthwhile. Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life." He read out of his book. Brooke looked at him with a smile. He looked at her and then started to read the last few sentences of his book. "This is the moment that changed her. The red seemed to be as perfect as lace. She was no longer the little girl hiding behind the red. She was no longer afraid to let others in. She was not the woman embracing the colored that directed her life through everything." He finished and then set the papers on his desk. "Brooke…."

"Your book is about me?" She said as she looked at him. "Lucas…"

"Brooke…I should have never broken up with you. I was in such a dark place after my mom died. You were there for me when Keith died, and you were there for me when my mom died. But, I didn't want your help. The day I broke up with you is a day that keeps playing over and over again in my head. I have loved you since the day I really met you. The day you showed me the real you, was the day I fell in love with you." He said as some tears streamed down Brooke's cheeks. He smiled as she wiped the tears. "You are gonna ruin your mascara." He said as she started to laugh.

"Lucas…" She said as Lucas' phone started to ring. He sighed and looked at it.

"This is the third time this number has called me." He said as she nodded. He picked up his phone and talk to the person on the other end. As he ended the call he looked at Brooke. "That was Glenda, Lily's teacher."

"Oh what does she have to say?" She asked.

"She wants to know why Brooke Davis yelled her over a child that isn't even hers." He said.

"I didn't exactly yell at her." She said as he sighed.

"But you yelled." He said as he groaned. "Brooke, I trusted you to just pick Lily up not yell at her teacher."

"She said Lily has a learning disability." She said as she got up.

"Has or might have?" He asked. "She's a teacher. She knows the signs for things like this. Why would you have done something like this?" He asked.

"Luke…" She said as he cut her off.

"She's my daughter. My daughter." He said in an angry tone.

"I'm sorry." She said as she opened the door. "Luke I just wanted to say I love you and that I think you are incredible father to that little girl. I love that little girl." She cried as she left. As she left the door slammed closed.

"Brooke…." He said as he opened the door but she was already gone. Lindsey had never said she loved Lily, but only hinted at it. A voice in his head told him to go after her and the other voice told him to stay. He opened the door again and ran out to the parking lot. As he got to the parking lot he watched Brooke leave. He sighed. He put his head down and then walked back to his office. He got to his office and he saw a familiar figure in a chair.

"Coach." The voice said as Lucas walked into the office.

"Coach Durham." Lucas said as he swallowed his feelings and smiled.

"I just wanted to come and say congrats on winning the first game of the season. Little Jagielski was a big surprise." Whitey said as he set a bottle of whiskey down on the desk. "Your uncle Keith used to come to my office after every game and we would talk for hours." He said as Lucas chuckled.

"I miss him." Lucas sighed as he sat down on his desk chair. He sighed as he then looked at Whitey.

"What's going on?" Whitey asked.

"Brooke and I finally, I mean just now finally told each other how we felt." Lucas said. "I then got a phone call and I…I…I blew up at Brooke for caring about Lily. I thought she was just being a bitch. She used to be one of the biggest bitches that walked these halls. Why did I do that?" He asked.

"Luke, you did it because Lily is the most important thing in your life." Whitey said as he noticed a picture of Lucas and Brooke in the confetti from the state championship game. Whitey picked it up and smiled. "This, right here." He said as he pointed at the picture. "She is the second most important thing in your life. Maybe and honestly she is starting to tie with Lily and that scares you. Maybe Brooke has always been the most important thing in your life. Since she is back old emotions are being kicked around. Since your mom died you have been using Lily as an excuse for everything in your life." He said as Lucas nodded.

"Maybe you're right." Lucas said.

"Don't wait." Whitey said. "I spent most of the best years of my life in this office. I should have been at home with Camilla. Go after her. You know her; you know where she would be. Go get her." He said.

"But I need to watch film…and she crossed a huge boundary. She shouldn't…" Lucas said as Whitey held up his hand to stop him.

"She crossed it because she loves you and your daughter. At some point you have to make a decision. Boundaries don't keep other people out. They fence you in. Life is messy. That's how we're made. So, you can waste your life drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them." Whitey said as Lucas got up and grabbed his coat.

"Coach I gotta go." Lucas said with a chuckle. He then ran out to the parking lot and got into his car. As he drove out of the parking lot he continued to call Brooke over and over again. He drove to the beach house and her car wasn't there. He then drove to the store. He saw her car parked out front of the store. As he parked a strange figure dressed in all black ran out of the store. "STOP!" He yelled as he chased the figure but lost it. He then ran back to the store and found Brooke on the floor. "BROOKE!" He yelled as he ran up to her. He helped her up from the floor and turned the lights on. Her arms were the only things that had bruises on it. "Are you okay?" He asked as she shrugged. "What did he take?" He asked.

"Money and my sketches." She said as he sighed and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he continued to hug her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I realized something I always knew. The day we broke up I put up boundaries around everything. But I would rather have someone that breaks every boundary down. Brooke, I want you. I love you. I need you." He said as she looked at him.

"Lucas…" She said as she held her face. Tears started to pour from her eyes. He held her as she cried. "I want you too. I love you too. I need you too." She said.


	12. Yes

Lucas looked at Brooke as the moonlight poured into the store. He had just told her that he never stopped loving her and regretted their final breakup every day. "Brooke." He said as she smiled and then hugged him. He smiled back as he hugged her tighter. "Come spend the night with me." He said as he heard her sigh and then watched her pull away.

"I can't." She said as he looked at her. He moved a piece of her hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Why?" He asked.

"I was supposed to be in Charlotte tonight for a fashion conference. I postponed my departure time so I could go to your game. I was coming to get some sketches and then go back home and wait for my car to come get me." She said as he nodded. He then sighed as she smiled. "Unless…" She said.

"Unless what?" He asked.

"Well, my company is putting me up in a resort. Why don't you and Lily come with me?" She asked. He was a little taken back by the question.

"Um…" He said as he looked at his watch. It was only 11:15 so he assumed that Lily was probably just being laid down to go to bed. "Uh…okay." He said as nodded.

"Really?" She said with a huge smile.

"Yeah." He said.

"Well my car is picking me up in an hour at my beach house. See you there?" She asked.

"We will both be there." He said as he kissed her cheek and then left. He went to his house and started to pack a bag for him and Lily. As he did this he called Nathan. He explain to Nathan what was going on and that he needed to pick up Lily. Nathan asked if it was really necessary and then Nathan finally agreed that he would have Lily ready for him to come get her. Lucas finished packing and then walked out to his car and got in. He drove to his brother's house and got out. He went up to the front door and could see the light was on inside. He opened the door and Nathan was sitting on the couch with Lily.

"When will y'all be back?" Nathan asked.

"Monday morningish?" Lucas said.

"And you and Lily just have to go to Charlotte for the weekend?" Nathan asked. "I understand you are hurting about Lindsay but you can't just whisk away for the weekend." He said as Lucas nodded.

"We are going to be with Brooke this weekend." Lucas said as Nathan looked at him. "I finally told Brooke my feelings." He said quickly and then checked his watch. "I really need to get going." He said as Nathan nodded and then helped Lucas to the car. As Nathan said goodbye he smiled. He hadn't seen his brother in this kind of mood in a while. He was excited to see Luke being so spontaneous. Lucas waved as he drove off and towards Brooke's house. He arrived to the house as the limo for Brooke pulled up. He smiled at Brooke as she walked over to his car.

"Are you ready?" Brooke asked as he nodded.

"Yeah I just have to get Lily out." He said as she smiled and watched him slowly get Lily out of the car without waking her up.

"Wow. I'm impressed." She said as he half smiled.

"I've had a lot of practice getting her out of the car while still asleep." He said. "I'm not very proud of it." He sighed as the driver walked over to them to get their bags. Brooke smiled at Lucas as they walked towards the limo. The driver opened the door for them and they got in. Lucas set Lily next to him and then arranged her to where her head was on his lap. Brooke sat on the other side of Lucas and smiled as she watched them. The driver then shut the door and got in the front seat. As the driver took off Brooke looked at Lucas.

"What did you mean by you aren't proud of being able to get Lily out of the car while she was still asleep?" She asked.

"Uh…well…" He said as he looked at Lily. "I feel like I tire her out so quickly that she just passes out. I don't really like her having a nanny because I don't want to miss anything with her…but its hard when its just me." He said as she softly smiled. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled into him.

"I can help you now." She said as he kissed the top of her head.

"I would like that." He said with a smile. They continued their conversations as Lucas pulled out his wallet. He was annoyed with sitting on it. As he pulled it out it opened. He started to close it as Brooke noticed his pictures in his wallet.

"What are those?" She asked as he reopened his wallet.

"Just a couple of photos that are important." He said as she started to look at the first one. He smiled. "That's the newest one. First day of preschool." He said as she started to flip through the photos. She then came to the last one. It was a picture of the two of them. She smiled as he quickly took his wallet. "And you remember that day." He said as she smiled again. She then took out her wallet and pulled out the same picture. It was the same picture. It was a picture of the two of them at the Rivercourt. Lucas had his arms wrapped around Brooke who was holding a basketball. It was back when they had gone to the senior blowout and before Karen had taken her last breath. He looked at the photo and smiled. "How did you get the photo?" He asked.

"Mouth sent it to me. He thought I would want the memory." She said as she sighed. "I got it after we broke up."

"So why did you keep it?" He asked as his other hand went to Lily's back. He could feel her moving and started to rub her back.

"Well…" She said as she smiled with her eyes. He smirked as he watched her think. He loved the way she would kink her eyebrow when she started to think. "I guess when people who are meant to be together find their way back. They may take a few detours, but they're never lost." She said as he smiled a bit. "When we broke up I wanted to hate. I really did, but I couldn't. You broke up with me but it was the first time that it didn't break me. I know that sounds weird. I know it's crazy…but there was something inside me that knew, our journey together wasn't over. I didn't know how to explain it or if I really could. I just knew that whatever we went through and wherever our paths took us, I knew they were going to cross again." She said as he continued to smile.

"Did you think it was over when I was engaged to Lindsay?" He asked.

"No." She said, "I knew Lindsay wasn't going to work out. You two were just not meant to be." She said as he laughed a little. She smiled as she then snuggled into his arm. He kissed her again and she smiled.

"What time do you have to be up tomorrow morning?" He asked.

"My first speech is at 8 and then from 10 to noon I am free. I then from noon to three have to walk through all of the booths. Then after that another lecture." She said as he nodded.

"So you are free for dinner?" He asked.

"Yes." She said. "Where are we all gonna go?" She asked as she watched Lily sleep. They both smiled and then the driver pulled into the hotel. The driver helped them out of the car and they went inside to check in. They then walked to their room. Peyton was supposed to join Brooke so the company had paid for a two-bedroom suite. Lucas smiled as he walked to one bedroom and quickly tucked Lily into bed. He sat there with her as Brooke walked into the room. He looked up from his computer and she smiled at him. "You can come join me." She said as he nodded and got up.

"Sure." He said as he set his computer down on the table in the room. He then followed her into her room. They sat down on the bed together and started to talk. By the time they were done talking it was almost 4 in the morning. The two on them then fell asleep. Brooke fell asleep with her head on Lucas' chest.

Lucas groaned loudly as he woke up. He sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. He looked at the clock and realized it was 10. He got up and got dressed. He put on a brown polo and a pair of dark wash blue jeans. He then walked into the other room to wake Lily up. "Hey Lil its time to get…" He started to say as he looked around the room. Lily's bed was made and he didn't see her. He walked out of the room looking around for her. "Lily? Where are you?" He called out as he looked for her. He was starting to get a little worried and his voice became sterner. "Lily this isn't funny. You need to come out." He said as the door to the hotel opened. Lily came running in wearing a black shirt with white writing, skinny jeans and a pair of light purple converses. Her hair was pulled half up with a bow. Lucas smiled as Lily hugged him. "Lily where were you?" He asked as Brooke shut the door. She was holding two trays of food. Lucas quickly got up and helped her with the food.

"She was with me." Brooke said.

"Wait what?" He said.

"Oh my god. Luke. I am so sorry." She said as a tear formed. "I didn't even ask you. You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. She got up while I was getting ready and since she doesn't have any toys here I decided that I would just take her with me."

"Brooke, it's fine." He said as Lily let go of Lucas and ran to the window. "Oh my god. You took Lily with you? What did you do with her?" He asked.

"I took her to the lecture. She sat in the front row so I could keep an eye on her." She said as he stood up and hugged her. This was the first time that any girl in his life other than Haley had put Lily first without him asking. She hugged him back. "She was so easy. It was amazing." She said as they both looked over at Lily. She was looking out the window at the park across the street.

"Yeah she is pretty amazing." He said as he looked at the food. "How long do we have together?" He asked.

"Um... a couple hours." She said as she started setting the food out.

"Lily come over here." He said as Lily looked at him. "Its time to eat."

"No." Lily said. Lucas looked over at her. He was a little surprised she said no.

"Lily. Come on." He said trying to remain calm.

"No." Lily said again.

"Lily. Now." He said a little more sternly.

"No." She said back. He then got up from his chair and walked over to her. He knelt down and had her face him.

"Lily, it's time to eat. Now." He said as he looked into her eyes.

"But." She said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Now." He said as she stomped her foot. "Excuse me?" He said. She crossed her arms and he then he stood up. Lily knew that this was the last straw before she was in trouble. She uncrossed her arms and he pointed to the table. She walked over to the table and sat down. The three of them continued to eat and talk. As Brooke and Lucas talked Lily started to color in a book. After Brooke had finally left Lucas decided to take Lily to the park. As they walked to the park Lucas was holding Lily's hand. He smiled as he watched his four year old get excited to play.

"Daddy will you push me on the swings?" Lily asked.

"Oh course." Lucas said with a smile as they walked to the swings. As he was pushing Lily his phone started to ring. He looked at it and it was Haley. He continued to push Lily as he answered it. "Hello?" He said.

"Lucas, you better have a good reason for coming in the middle of the night and stealing my very adorable sleeping niece from my house." Haley said.

"Well your very adorable sleeping niece just happens to be my daughter, so I don't think I need much of a reason to do anything." He joked as he heard her laugh.

"So how are things going?" She asked.

"It's good." He said. He hadn't really given much thought to him and Brooke.

"Well, you finally admitted that you love Brooke and always have." She said. "What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Um…" He said as he stopped pushing Lily. She got off the swing and started playing on the playground. He sat down on the bench and continued to talk while watching her. "I had an idea but it is so out there that I can't do it." He said as the phone went quiet.

"Do it." She finally said.

"Do what?" He asked.

"Propose." She said. "It's what you want. It's what we all want."

"I can't do that." He said. "I just ended it with Lindsay and I have to think about Lily." He said as he continued to watch her.

"You left town with your daughter because you didn't want to be away from the woman you love. You never did that with Lindsay. You almost seemed relieved when you would come back from New York." She said. "Brooke loves you, and she loves that little girl too." She said. "What more do you need?" She asked.

"Well, can I tell you something?" He asked as he heard yes over the phone. "I woke up this morning and I couldn't find Lily. A little later here comes Lily dressed and happy. She had left with Brooke this morning and went to her lectures. Lindsay never did that. Lily was basically to be seen and not heard. But with Brooke Lily isn't just an accessory, she is a person with needs and wants that Brooke tends to. I have never seen anyone treat Lily like this that isn't family. Now I know Brooke basically is, but she is so much more than that to me. I could see Brooke getting up in the morning and getting Lily ready for school and doing so much more for her." He said as he realized what he was saying.

"Luke…" She said into the phone.

"I'm gonna propose." He said as screaming occurred over the phone. He smiled as they said their goodbyes. He continued watching Lily and then called her over. Lily came running over full of energy. As she got to him he smiled. He picked her up and set her on his lap. "Can we go for a walk?" He asked as she nodded. The two then got up and they started to walk down the sidewalk in the park. He was holding her hand as they walked. "Lily do you like Brooke?" He asked.

"Yes!" She said as she was jumping around and squirming.

"Do you like Brooke like you liked Lindsay?" He asked. He smiled as he watched the little girl think.

"No." She said, as he was a little taken back. He could feel her swinging his arm and he smiled.

"Why don't you like Brooke like you liked Lindsay?" He asked.

"I liked Lindsay cause she played with me." She said.

"And Brooke doesn't play with you?" He asked.

"She does." She said. "But she is more like Aunt Haley." She said as Lucas stopped them. He looked down at her and then got on one knee.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "How is Brooke like Aunt Haley?"

"Aunt Haley cares about the importants." She said as she stumbled over her words. He smiled as he watched her talk. "She cares about food, safety, love, and you." She said as he was again taken back by his daughter's capability of understanding.

"What?" He asked.

"Brooke took me for breakfast this morning." She said. "She was scared cause she didn't know what I liked. But she got me grapes, yogurt and juice." She said as he stood up and they continued walking.

"And you liked that?" He asked as they came up to another jungle gym.

"Mhm!" She said excitedly. "It was like having a mommy!" She said as she looked at the playground. "Daddy can I go play?" She asked as he nodded. He was at a lost for words. He watched as she ran out to play. Lily had never mentioned wanting a mom before or that she saw Haley for everything she does for him. He continued to think about Brooke as Lily came back over to him. "Daddy? What are you doing?" She asked.

"Thinking." He replied as he picked her up and carried her. He walked over to the bench and sat down with her. This time she was sitting next to him. "Lily, I have a very serious question to ask you." He said as she nodded. "What do you think about having Brooke in your life permanently?" He asked.

"Permanently?" She asked as she stumbled over the words.

"That means like always." He said.

"I like that." She said with a smile. He then smiled really big.

"Well what if I married Brooke?" He asked. "Do you remember what that is?"

"Brooke would be my mommy?" She asked.

"Yes, Brooke would be your mommy." He said as she lit up. "BUT, we have to keep it a secret." He said as she nodded. He smiled knowing that Lily would ruin the surprise if he didn't act fast. He then thought about everything and deiced he wanted to do it tonight. He looked at Lily and then his watch. He and Brooke had already made plans to eat at a very nice restaurant while Millie watched Lily. Lucas looked at Lily and then they got up and started walking back towards the hotel. As they were walking Lucas walked past a jewelry store. He looked down at a very sleeping girl and then picked her up. He walked inside the store and started looking around. He watched as Lily's eye lit up with all the sparkles in the store. He finally found a ring that was perfect for Brooke. He paid for it and then they went straight back to the hotel. As they got to the room, Lily had gotten her second wind. Lucas set her down on the bed. "Lily I think it's time for a nap." He said as she shook her head.

"No!" She said as she started to take her shoes off. He walked out of the room and placed the ring inside his jacket pocket that Brooke had delivered to the room. He walked back into the room Lily was in and saw Lily fighting to stay awake.

"Nap time!" He said as Lily then kicked off her shoe. Lucas barely caught it as it almost hit his face. He sighed and then looked at her. She was aggressively rubbing her eyes and yawning. He was trying to remain calm because he knew she had a harder time sleeping in a newer place. He walked over to the bed and picked her up. She smiled as he tucked her into the bed and then laid down next to her. He was talking to her until they both finally fell asleep.

Lucas pulled out Brooke's chair at their table and she sat down. He then sat down across from her. He smiled as he watched her look around. She looked more beautiful than she ever had before. She smiled at him as she caught him staring at her.

"You are a really incredible father." Brooke said as he smiled.

"Thank you." He said as she smiled back at him. They continued to eat and enjoy their conversation. Brooke felt as if Lucas was ignoring her or didn't actually want to be there because he was so nervous. As they finished eating, Lucas invited Brooke to join him on a walk in the park. While he was there in the morning he noticed there were lights hanging and figured they turned on at night. They started walking through the park and Lucas' prediction was correct. The park was lit with white lights hanging over them. As they walked through the park, Brooke's eyes were scanning the entire area. She was amazed at the lights and how beautiful everything was. As Brooke did another scan of the area she stopped as she saw Lucas on one knee. He had the ring out and was ready for her to see him.

"Lucas!" She said shocked. He smiled.

"Brooke Penelope Davis, I love you so much. You have been such an inspiration to me not only though my writing but through my daughter as well. You have taken your own time to take care of my daughter and you do it with the greatest attitude. Back in high school when I wrote, 'She was fiercely independent, Brooke Davis. Brilliant, and beautiful, and brave. In two years she had grown more than anyone I had ever known. Brooke Davis is going to change the world someday. I'm not sure she even knows it.' To be honest, I'm not sure I even knew it. You changed my world and I let you slip away. I hurt you but you still loved me. I never want to lose you again. So Brooke, will you marry me?" He asked as he watched tears fill her eyes. She smiled and looked at him.

"Yes."


	13. The new us

**_It had been almost six weeks since Lucas and Brooke got engaged. During this time a lot of things have changed in Tree Hill. After Q was shot and killed by Xavier all the lives in Tree Hill were changed. Nathan and Haley found a student sleeping in the backseat of a car in the high school. After putting a lot of thought into this student they decided that the car shouldn't be her permanent address. Nathan and Haley then ask Brooke if she would like Sam to live her. Brooke agrees and Sam moves in with Brooke. Brooke recently heard from Sam's birth mother but hasn't told Sam. Lucas wanted to take a break from coaching after losing Quentin because of the connection he had made with his whole family but Nathan and Skills told him to keep pushing through. Although Lucas rushed the engagement he wants Brooke to have the wedding of her dreams and so they decided to plan out a nice wedding. Peyton and Jake are living happily in a house near the high school. The night they saw each other they picked up right where they left off. Lily's life has changed a lot too. She is learning to deal with Lucas spending more time with Brooke and less time with her._**

Brooke and Sam walked into Clothes over Bros. Brooke turned the light on and watched as Sam walked behind the counter. Brooke had given Sam a weekend job at the store so that she could learn about responsibility just like Karen had taught her. Nathan and Haley had thought Sam getting a

"Do you think we will be busy today?" Sam asked as Brooke thought about the question.

"Are you wanting to go see Jack?" Brooke smirked.

"Are you wanting to go see Lucas?" Sam sassed back.

"Oh shut up." Brooke laughed.

"Brooke, you never told me how you and Lucas met." Sam said as Brooke smiled. As she thought about it a tear came to her eye. She was so in love with Lucas.

"Now, that is a story. An epic one." Brooke said as she touched her tear. "I told you about the first encounter but when Lucas really got to know me was a time Peyton and I went to a college party." She started to say as she looked at Sam. "You aren't allowed to do that." She said as Sam laughed.

"Go on." Sam said.

"Well, Lucas came to rescue us. When we went to Peyton's house to watch Peyton and Lucas told me I could go. Something in my gut told me to stay and talk to each other. That's when we really got to know each other. That's when it clicked." Brooke said as Sam nodded.

"So why did it take so long for y'all to be at this step in the relationship?" Sam asked.

"High school drama." Brooke said. "Peyton and Lucas were really close and I wasn't as confident in myself as I am now. The first break up was during the spring of my junior year. When senior year started it was different. He had changed and he wanted me back. We dated through our entire senior year, until graduation." She said.

"Oh and I know what happened from there." Sam said as Millie walked into the store.

"Victoria is coming back." Millie said as she walked into the store holding a box of donuts and a drink carrier. Brooke's eyes widen.

"When?" Brooke asked as she got a text message.

"Uh, soonish." Millie said as she set down the food. Sam reached for her coffee and opened it.

"I already put like half the sugar shaker in the cup." Millie said as Brooke looked at her. "What, it is how she likes it." She said as Brooke shook her head.

"I do like it sweet." Sam said with a smile. She then walked to the back room to take inventory.

"So have you told Victoria about Sam?" Millie asked.

"No I did that.." Brooke said as she saw Lucas' car drive by. She smiled and then turned back to Millie.

"Um Brooke." Millie said. "What have you not told Victoria?" She asked as Brooke put her thumb on her tooth and looked down. "BROOKE! You haven't told her you're engaged?" She said very loudly. Sam then walked into the main area.

"You haven't told your mom yet?" Sam asked as Lucas walked into the store with Lily.

"Haven't told your mom what?" Lucas asked as Sam laughed. Brooke got down on Lily's level ready for a hug but Lily ran right past her.

"Sam!" Lily said as Brooke shook her head.

"Come on kid. I'm gonna show you a secret." Sam said as Lily grabbed Sam's hand and they walked into the back room. Lucas watched them with a huge smile. He then turned to Brooke. He smiled and then kissed her.

"What haven't you told Victoria?" He asked.

"Uh…" Brooke said as Millie looked at them.

"Well, I am going to go…uh… join the girls…" Millie said as she walked back to the back room. She saw Sam watching from the small one-way mirror. Lily was playing with a doll that was in the back. Millie laughed and then stood next to Sam.

"Brooke…" He said as Brooke sighed.

"I haven't told my mom about Sam." She said.

"Yes you have. Last time she came into town. Sam and Victoria bonded. You said it was really good for Sam but also very surprising." He said.

"Oh, you remember that…" She said as he looked at her. She then looked down.

"Yeah, so what is it?" He asked as he looked at her. Her chin was down and he lifted it up. He then smiled at her. She smiled back and he kissed her.

"I haven't exactly told her that I am engaged." She said as he nodded.

"Oh." He said surprised. "Why?" He asked. "It's fine. I've met her and I understand." He said as he kissed her cheek. Millie then walked back into the main store area. She was holding some dresses to place out. She then walked to the mannequin in the window. She started dressing it and saw Victoria turn the corner. She was wearing black heels and a black dress.

"Well, here's your chance to tell her." Millie said as Brooke looked at the door.

"Tell her what?" Victoria said as she walked inside. She then saw Sam and Lily come around the corner. She looked around and then at Brooke.

"Uh, Sam, Lily let's go get…be…let's leave." Lucas said as he nodded for them to follow him. Brooke shook her head as the three of them left.

"Who were those people?" Victoria asked.

"Well mother…" Brooke said as she sighed. "That was Lucas." She said. "You've met Lucas. We dated throughout high school. The four year old is his daughter." She said. "Lucas is actually…" She started to say as she used her hands to talk.

"What is that?" Victoria asked as she looked at the engagement ring.

"Uh actually…" Brooke said as Victoria grabbed her hand. Victoria was looking at the ring and smiled. She thought it was a great ring. "Lucas and I are engaged." She said as Victoria looked at her. Victoria was speechless. The store was quiet for a while as Victoria thought. Victoria then opened her mouth.

"I'm happy for you." Victoria said. Brooke was completely surprised. "So, dinner tonight at your place. I would like to get to know my future son-in-law and granddaughter." She said as she looked around the store.

"Okay! Dinner tonight." Brooke said as Victoria smiled.

"Is it okay if I call her that? My granddaughter?" Victoria asked. "You are gonna adopt her right?" She asked.

"I was planning on it." Brooke said. "Well, I can ask about the granddaughter thing. I'm sure Luke will be very happy about that…" She said.

"Okay. Well let me know." Victoria said as she grabbed her bags. "I am going to go check into my hotel." She said as she left. Brooke then turned to Millie.

"What was that?" Brooke asked.

"I have no idea." Millie said. "Maybe she figure that if she told you no, she wouldn't be involved in anything after you are married." She said as Brooke nodded. She then started to go over the books. As she was marking different things Lucas and the girls walked in.

"So how did it go?" Lucas asked.

"Weirdly great…" Brooke said as she watched Sam walk to the counter. "We have dinner tonight." She said.

"Oh we do?" He asked.

"Yes. You, me, Sam, Lily and Victoria." Brooke said as Lucas nodded.

"Oh." He said. "Why?"

"She wants to get to know her son-in-law." She said.

"Oh…and her son-in-law's daughter?" He said.

"Yes, but she called Lily her future granddaughter." She said, as he was a little shocked.

"Alright." He said a little shaky.

"Are you okay?" She asked. "I know we have talked about me adopting Lily once we were married." She said as he nodded and then sat down on the purple couch in the store.

"I'm fine." He said. "Just so sudden." He said with a smile. She sat down next to him with a smile.

"Luke…" She said as he looked at her.

"Brooke, I'm just surprised everything went so well with your mom. I have just gotten to know your dad but now your mom. I'm overwhelmed." He said as he kissed her cheek. She smiled at him. She really enjoyed that Lucas knew and talked to her father. She was on the other hand very nervous for the dinner tonight.

"So what are you doing today?" She asked as he smiled at her.

"Taking a nap." He said. "We had a bad night."

"Why?" She asked.

"Yesterday was the first time after a game that Lily spent the night at home. I didn't stay after the game because I brought everything home, so it wasn't a late night but she was just so full on energy. The guys actually came over. Skills, Mouth and Nathan. Literally Lily's three favorite people in the world. She had her uncle, and two godfathers over. It took me forever to get her to bed." He sighed. "And then this morning was just awful." He said as he watched Lily talk to Sam.

"Why?" She asked.

"The guys just don't listen plus I shouldn't have woken Lily up that early." He sighed. "She is so tired now." He said as they both looked over at the girls.

"Why didn't you have Lily stay with me last night?" She asked. "She could have slept in and you could have picked her up here." She said with a smile.

"I know. I just…I feel weird not living together." He said as she looked at him.

"What did you just say?" She asked.

"Brooke, I want to live together. I want us to move in together." He said as she smiled.

"Where? We both own two bedroom houses and have need three bedrooms." She said.

"Possibly even more once we are married." He suggested. "I found a house while I was looking around." He said.

"Where?" She asked.

"2314 Old Tree…" He started to say but was cut off.

"My old house!" She squealed.

"Yeah, it went on the market last week. I haven't stopped thinking about what you used to say." He said.

"And what is it?" She asked.

"That the house deserved to have a happy family living in it. We are a happy family and we should fill it." He said as she smiled really big.

"Really?" She asked. "Do you think we should call?" She asked as she smiled.

"Yeah." He said as he looked around. "I'm not telling you how to run your business but where is everyone?" He asked as Brooke looked around.

"That's a good question." She said as she looked around. She then noticed the sign was said closed. She went and switched it. She smiled as she watched Lily yawn. "Luke." She said as she pointed at Lily. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning. He got up and walked over to her.

"Lily, we are gonna go home now." He said as Lily nodded. He said goodbye to Sam and walked out of the store with Lily. As he was walking with Lily he picked her up. "Are you tired?" He asked as he felt her lay her head on his shoulder.

"Uh huh." She said as he rubbed her back.

"Well, there won't be any more of this. Okay?" He said as he got to the car.

"Why?" She asked as he smiled.

"Well, Brooke and I want to move in together. Is that something you would like?" He asked.

"I like Brooke." She said as he smiled again. "Daddy?" She said.

"Yes?" He answered. There wasn't a response so he looked in his rear view mirror and saw that Lily had fallen asleep. He continued driving and then pulled into the garage. He got out and then got Lily out. He walked inside with her asleep on him. He walked into her room and tucked her into bed. He then softly closed her door. He walked back out to the garage and closed his car doors. He walked back into the very quiet house. He looked around and smiled. He had so many memories in this house, but he knew he wanted something different. He walked to his room and shut his door. He then sat down in his chair by his computer. He sighed as he looked around. He felt awful for draining Lily so quickly. He then looked at the clock and it read 11:45. He looked on his computer at more information about the house. He already knew what the house was like and it was actually a close distance to the high school. He then called the relator to ask questions. After he hung up he went to his bed and laid down. Then he quickly fell asleep.

Lucas woke up and yawned. It was now almost 3. He quickly got out of bed and went to find Lily. He went to the living room and didn't see her. He knew she wasn't outside because she wasn't able to reach the lock. He then opened her door and found her still asleep. He smiled and then walked over to her. He sat down and could hear Lily rustle in the bed. She turned over in bed and saw him.

"Hi daddy." She mumbled.

"Hi." He said as he smiled. "Sleep well?" He asked.

"Yeah!" She said with a smile.

"Well, guess what we are doing tonight." He said.

"What?" She asked.

"Dinner at Brooke's!" He said.

"With Sam?" She asked.

"Yes with Sam." He said and then laughed. "I'm gonna go make us some sandwiches. Okay." He said as she nodded. He got up and then went to the kitchen. He started making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when he thought of something. He then called Brooke on his cellphone.

"Yes?" Brooke said as she answered the phone.

"What should I wear tonight?" He asked.

"Hmmm..." Brooke said. "Wear your black button down with the sleeves rolled up a bit and jeans." She said. "Oh and make sure your hair is fixed." She said as he nodded.

"So basically what I'm wearing now is a no go." He laughed.

"Well if you are wearing what I saw you in, then no." She said. "You shouldn't wear a hat and sweatpants to dinner tonight." She said.

"Alright." He said. "Oh what about Lily?" He asked.

"There is a dress that is white on top and pink on the bottom with gold polka dots. It kind of looks like a tank top and skirt but it's a dress. She should wear that with her gold sandals and her gold bow." She said as he laughed. "What's so funny?" She asked.

"Well soon, I won't be calling about outfit choices. You can just walk into the room and pick them out." He said.

"I know. I can't wait." She said. "She gonna be a little mini-me." She said as she her laughing on the other side of the phone. "Shut up Lucas Scott. Is that all you had to say?" She asked.

"I actually called the relator." He said. "If you are serious about buying together, we could sign papers today." He said and then sighed. "That's really soon if you don't…"

"I want to." She said. "I want to be living with you. I want to be a family. You, me, Lily and.."

"Samantha." He said. "She's a good kid. I like her." He said.

"Enough to make it official?" She asked.

"Enough to make her official." He said as Lily walked into the kitchen. He handed her the sandwich he made her and she sat down at the table.

"I'm actually about to leave the store." She said. "Sam left around two to go hang out with Jack. I'm not really doing anything. Mind if I come over?" She asked.

"Not at all. We will be here." He said as he sat down at the table.

"See you soon!" She said.

"I love you." He said.

"Love you to!" She said and then hung up. He put his phone down and looked at Lily.

"Brooke is gonna come over and hang out." He said.

"Yay!" Lily said as she continued to eat. As they continued to eat Lucas' phone rang. This time it was Peyton. He picked up the phone and answered it.

"Hey Luke, do you and Brooke want to go on a triple date?" Peyton asked.

"Triple date with who?" Lucas asked.

"Us, y'all and the other Scotts." Peyton said.

"When?" He asked.

"Next Saturday night." She replied.

"Sounds fun!" He said.

"Well, Jace is babysitting Jenny so I'm sure he can watch Lily and Jamie." She said.

"That gives Sam the chance to hang out with Jack, so perfect!" He said.

"Okay bye!" Peyton said as she hung up. Lucas then looked at Lily.

"So." He said as he looked at her.

"So." She said back. She wasn't mocking him but just coping him.

"We are gonna go somewhere with Brooke." He said as she nodded. She got down and looked at him.

"Can I go play?" She asked. "Outside."

"Yeah. I'll be in the back living room so I can see you from there. But do not leave the yard." He said as she smiled. She then ran outside the back door. He smiled and walked into the back area. He sat down and started reading a book. As he read he would look up occasionally to see Lily playing on the swings. As he watched he heard Brooke open the front door.

"Hello?" Brooke said as she walked inside.

"In here." He called out as Brooke started walking towards the back of the house. She smiled as she sat down.

"Hi." She said.

"Hi pretty girl." He said back. He then closed his book. "So I set up an appointment to go talk to the relator." He said.

"Great, so did I." She laughed.

"Great minds." He said as he got up.

"Oh let me!" She said as she got up. "I have to get used to it." She said as he nodded. She then walked to the door and looked out at Lily. "Lily, come inside! It's time to go!" She called out as Lily continued to play. Brooke looked back inside at Lucas.

"It normally takes more than one time for me." He said as she nodded.

"Lily, come inside. It's time to go." She tried again. Lily continued to play. Brooke then looked at Lucas. He could tell she was discouraged. He then came to the door and cleared his throat.

"Lily." He called out sternly. "Come inside." He said in a stern voice. Lily slid down the slide and came to the door. Lucas looked at Lily with a certain look and then got down on one knee. "Did you hear Brooke?" He asked.

"Yes." Lily said.

"And you didn't listen." He said.

"Yes." She said as he nodded his head.

"And what have I told you?" He asked.

"That I'm a post to listen." She said as he nodded. Brooke then covered her mouth. She was trying not to smile.

"To who?" He asked.

"You and Brooke." She said quietly.

"Well, you owe Brooke an apology." He said as she nodded. She then turned to Brooke.

"I'm sorry for not listening." Lily said to Brooke.

"I forgive you." Brooke said as she hugged Lily. Lucas watched them and then looked at his watch.

"Alright ladies, we gotta go." He said as Brooke stood up. She grabbed Lily's hand and they walked out to Lucas' car. They all got in and Lucas started to drive.

"Where are we going?" Lily asked.

"Hopefully to our new home." Lucas answered.

"It's really pretty." Brooke said as she turned to face Lily. "It has a huge back yard, a pool, and a lot of rooms." She said.

"Can I pick?" Lily asked.

"Yes." They both said. He then turned down the street and they pulled up to the house. He parked and they all got out. As they walked up to the door the relator greeted them.

"You must be the Scotts." Jackie said.

"Yes." Lucas said as he shook her hand.

"What a beautiful family." Jackie said as she looked at all three of them.

"Thanks, we are actually missing one more." He said as they walked inside. Lily was holding Brooke's hand as they walked inside.

"The house is ready to be moved in and I can get you in here tomorrow." Jackie said.

"That seems awful quick." He said.

"Is there something wrong with the house?" Brooke asked.

"Oh no. This house is actually owned by the town. Tree Hill is such a small place that moving in can happen a lot quicker." Jackie said as they both nodded. "Have a look around. I'll wait here." She said as Lucas and Brooke walked together. Lily was now holding Lucas' hand. They walked through the first floor together. The master bedroom was on this floor. They then walked up the stairs. There were four bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second floor. They walked into each and the last one they walked in was Brooke's. Brooke smiled as she thought about everything that had happened in the room. She turned to Lucas and smiled.

"Let's do it." Brooke said as Lucas nodded.

"Alright." He said as she hugged him. They walked downstairs and talked to Jackie. After they were done they headed back to Lucas' house.

"Luke." Brooke said as he looked over at her.

"Yes?" He said.

"Does Lily see her grandparents?" She asked.

"Uh…no." He said as he turned down Main Street. "Keith's parents see her sometimes but not really. As for my mom's parents, they disowned her when she decided to keep me so I'm not going to let them known Lily. They didn't want to know me." He said as she nodded.

"So my parents would be her only sorta grandparents?" She asked.

"Well, I hope we don't think of them as sorta grandparents. If they want to be apart of our lives after you adopt her, then they are as much as her grandparents as my mom's parents." He said as she smiled. "But she does have a grandpa." He said.

"Who?" She asked a little confused.

"Coach Durhman." He said. "After my mom died and we broke up, he kept me in line." He laughed. "Since Haley, Nathan and I all went to the same college he was coaching at, he helped us with a lot. He really helped and Lily called him grandpa whitey all the time so it just stuck." He said as she smiled.

"Were going to see Grandpa Whitey!" Lily said as Lucas sighed.

"No, sweetie. I'm sorry." He said. "But I promise that you can see him really soon." He said as Lily smiled.

"Okay." Lily said as he smiled.

Brooke pulled into the driveway of her house. Victoria's rental was already there. Brooke got out of her and walked up the steps. When she had left Lucas' he had just gotten a phone call. She walked inside and could smell chicken in the oven and Victoria was standing at the stove making vegetables. Victoria smiled as Brooked walked in. Brooke looked around the house and was a little surprised by all the toys.

"What's all this?" Brooke asked as she circled around the toys.

"A gift to my new granddaughter." Victoria said. Brooke was a little upset by all the toys. She could tell that Lucas didn't go crazy on buying toys for Lily.

"And what are you making?" Brooke asked.

"Chicken, with vegetables and macaroni and cheese." Victoria said.

"I don't know if Lily will like that." Brooke said.

"Oh but Sam said Lily would like it." Victoria said as Brooke nodded.

"Okay." Brooke said as Sam walked out of her room.

"It's what Lucas always tells me to make when I babysit." Sam said as she sat down. In her hand was a brand new phone.

"What's this?" Brooke asked as she walked up to my phone.

"Just a phone that foster granny gave to me." Sam said as Brooke looked up at Victoria. The last time Victoria was in town she got very close to Sam. Just before Victoria left, Brooke received a letter from Sam's birth mom. Victoria wanted to hide it but Brooke gave it to Sam. Since then Brooke has felt that Victoria is trying to bribe her into staying. Brooke sighed and then walked to her room. She put her stuff down and then laid down on her bed. She took a deep breath and then got back up. She walked to the mirror and fixed herself. She then told herself that she could do it. She walked back out of her room and could hear Lucas' voice coming from the porch. She went to the front door and opened it. Lily was running up and down the steps while Lucas was still on the phone. He looked at Brooke and then finally got off the phone.

"Who was that?" Brooke asked.

"A publisher." He replied. "They bought my book." He said as her face lit up.

"Oh my gosh! Luke! That's great!" She said excitedly.

"Yeah, the only problem is that I have to be in New York tomorrow morning." He said as she nodded. "I would need to leave tonight…after dinner." He said.

"Oh." She said.

"Yeah, I have no idea what I'm gonna do. We are moving into the new house. I can't just take Lily with me. I could when I was…" He said as she nodded. "But now I don't have that option." He said as she lit up again. "I guess I could call Nathan or Skills. But it's going to be until Wednesday. I don't want to do that Skills. I mean he would be down…but still. That's a lot of pressure." He said.

"I can watch her." She said.

"But there is gonna be so much going on." He said. "There's packing, moving and unpacking…"

"We will manage." She said as he looked at her. "I'm gonna be her mom soon. She needs to get used to me being in charge and being around more. Since we have been engaged I have spent less time with just Lily. I spent more time with her when we were just friends." She sighed as he nodded.

"You're right." He said as she smiled.

"Besides, we can just pay someone to pack and move us. We could even pay to have then unpack." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

"Positive." She said as Lily walked up to them. "Besides we are getting a great deal on the house." She finished as she grabbed Lily's hand. Brooke then opened the door and they walked in together. Victoria greeted them at the door with a smile. Lily had never talked to Victoria so she stood behind Lucas. He could feel her gripping his jeans.

"Mrs. Davis." Lucas said as he put his hand out.

"You can call me Victoria." Victoria said as Lucas nodded. "It's Lucas right?" She asked. She had only met Lucas once and that was at the opening of the store. "And who is this?" She asked. Lucas smiled as he then moved Lily in front of him.

"This is Lily." Lucas said as he made Lily put her hand out to shake Victoria's. Lucas had really been trying to push Lily out of her comfort zone. Lily shook Victoria's hand and Victoria smiled.

"I have something for you." Victoria said as she had Lily follow her to the couch. Lily looked back at Lucas and he smiled at her. Lily walked with Victoria and sat down on the couch. Victoria smiled at Lily. "I bought a couple of toys for you but there is one that I think is the most important." She said as Brooke and Lucas watched. Victoria then picked up a small bag. She handed it to Lily and Lily opened it. She then pulled out a purple monkey.

"Oh my god." Brooke said. "Purple monkey… I thought I lost it." She said as Victoria nodded.

"You did. It was in a box that was meant to be sold but got sent to our house in California instead." Victoria said as Brooke smiled.

"That's really cool." Lucas said with a smile. Victoria then got up and went into the kitchen. Lily stayed on the couch and looked at all the toys but continued to play with the monkey. Brooke sat down next to Lily and smiled.

"Dinner is ready." Victoria said as Brooke got up and took Lily's hand. Brooke walked to the table and helped Lily into her seat. Lily sat there while the adults and Sam were serving themselves. They all walked to the table and Lucas set a plate in front of Lily. He had already cut her chicken for her. They all sat down and Brooke realized that no one had anything to drink.

"What would everyone like to drink?" Brooke asked.

"Wine." Victoria said. She looked over at Lucas and noticed he was about to answer. "Lucas will have wine as well." She said as Sam looked at Brooke and tried not to laugh.

"I'll help you." Sam said as she got up. She looked at Lily's cup and noticed it was empty. She grabbed it as she walked into the kitchen. She looked at Brooke who was pouring three glasses of wine. "What does Lily typically drink?" She asked. Brooke looked at Lucas and then at Lily. She looked back at Sam and smiled.

"Apple juice?" Brooke said as Sam nodded. The two finished making drinks and walked back to the table. They then started to eat.

"So Lucas, tell me. What do you do?" Victoria asked. Lucas finished chewing and then swallowed his food.

"Well, I am an author." Lucas said. "A published author. Both books have actually been about Brooke." He said as Victoria smirked.

"Well, she is a great muse." Victoria said as she tipped her glass to Brooke.

"I am also a high school basketball coach." He finished as she nodded.

"A successful basketball coach?" Victoria asked.

"I like to think so." He said. "We have only lost two games but under the circumstances, it was understandable. I am hoping for a winning season next year." He said as she nodded.

"Indeed." Victoria said. "And what about this cute little girl. What does she do?" She asked.

"I'm four." Lily said as she looked at Lucas.

"That you are." He laughed. "She's in preschool. She is also in basketball, dance and art classes." He finished as Victoria nodded.

"That's nice." Victoria said. "And how is school going Sam?" She asked.

"Uh…" Sam started to say. "It's alright. I got published in the school paper but…my favorite teacher lost her job because of it." She sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Victoria said. She watched Lucas and Brooke exchange looks at each other. "So about this wedding. Brooke's father and I will be paying. But I can't have the two of you living in this ratty old thing. Lucas where do you live?" She asked. Lucas coughed on his wine as he listened to his future mother in law.

"Well, Brooke and I are actually looking to move." He said.

"Oh perfect!" Victoria said. "To where?" She asked.

"Just to a different house in Tree Hill." He said.

"Oh." Victoria said plainly. "I was hoping you would have come to your sense and moved back to New York." She said as she looked at Brooke.

"Mother, please." Brooke said. "I am happy here. My life is here. My friends are here." She said as Victoria put up her hand.

"Fine fine. Do as you please." Victoria said.

"Thank you." Brooke said.

"When are you planning to have the wedding?" Victoria asked as Lucas placed his hands on top of Lily's. She had been playing with her food while they were talking.

"We are planning on a spring wedding." He replied and then looked at Lily. He gave her a certain look and she stopped playing. They continued to eat and one by one they finished. Lily like always was the last to finish since she played the whole time. Lucas was helping Sam clean up the dishes as Victoria sat in the living room with Lily. He smiled as he watched her. Sam looked at him and laughed. "What?" He asked.

"Oh nothing." Sam said as she looked at him. She gave him a half smile and he put down the rag.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"You guys are a really cute and happy family." She said as she continued putting the dishes in the dishwasher. He looked at her and crossed his arms. He watched her and was very surprised by what she said. She finished and then looked at him. "What?" She asked. He moved his head towards her room and she followed him.

"You said that we looked like a happy family, but you didn't imply it like you were about the family." He said.

"Well, I mean…I'm not. Brooke is just my foster mom and Victoria is just my foster granny. Now that you and Brooke are engaged, what's yours becomes her. Meaning that Lily will become her daughter and Victoria's granddaughter. Everyone loves the puppy." She said as he sighed.

"Sam, that isn't how it's gonna be." He said. "Brooke is never gonna just throw you away."

"Really?" Sam asked.

"I promise." He said.


	14. I'm back!

Hey guys!

I'm back and will be updating soon!

-M


	15. Honey, I'm home

**_Sorry I've been MIA. Here's what is going on. In the last chapter Lucas left to talk about his new book. He's now been gone for about a month and will be returning to a very different Tree Hill. He has given up on his writing career after his failed book tour. He is now becoming a full time staff member at the high school. He will be teaching current events and creative writing. He will also remain the head coach of the basketball team. Upon his return he knew that Sam wasn't living with them anymore and now lives with her mom. She still sees most of the Scotts and friends but is slowly starting to be with her mom more. Brooke has learned devastating news and now must comfort Lucas with it. The most change has come from Lily. Lily has spent the entire month with Brooke as her main caretaker. While Lily has done mainly okay with Brooke, she has started to develop an attitude._**

Sam walked into her English class where Haley was on sitting at her desk. As Sam set down her things the bell rang. Haley stood up and started to teach her class about a 19th century poet. As she was finishing her lesson the bell rang. Sam watched as everyone left the room and she slowly walked up to Haley's desk.

"Mrs. J Scott, mind if I eat in here?" Sam asked.

"Of course!" Haley said with a smile. "How are things going with your mom?"

"Everything's been going great actually." Sam said and then looked down. "I miss Brooke and Lily and Lucas, but it's my mom."

"Sam, they miss you and always will but they are so happy you are with your mom." Haley said.

"Have you been by to see Brooke lately?" Sam asked.

"We had dinner together on Monday but that was the last time." Haley said. "What about you?" She asked.

"I was over last night." Sam said.

"Oh, how was Brooke doing?" Haley asked. "Nathan was with Lily the other day and he said that she has developed a little bit of an attitude problem. He almost lost it with her."

"Uh…she wasn't doing the hottest." Sam said. "Lily was very much a brat all night." She said as Lucas walked into the classroom. He had caught the very end of the conversation.

"Lily's being a brat?" Lucas asked instead of saying hello.

"No." Sam said quickly as Lucas hugged both of them.

"I didn't know you were coming back!" Haley said as she let go of him.

"I missed being home." He said with a smile.

"That's new." Haley said as Lucas smiled.

"Yeah well you know. I have reasons to come home." He said with a huge smile. "So….how was Lily? You did say she was a brat." He stated.

"Lily wasn't the best I've seen her…" Sam said as she looked down. "Actually Lily was really bad. She got in a lot of fights with Brooke."

"How did Brooke handle it?" He asked.

"She called her uncle." Sam said.

"Oh Nathan handled it? Good." He said.

"No, not Nate." Haley said.

"Yeah it wasn't Nate. It was Mouth that came over." Sam said.

"Lily's favorite person." He laughed.

"Yeah, Mouth definitely wasn't Lily's favorite person this week." Sam said. She looked at both adults who were waiting for a story. "Mouth came over for dinner last night and Lily was being very stubborn and Mouth got onto her." She said as the late bell rang. Haley went to her desk and wrote a note for Sam to get to her next class. Sam thanked her, said goodbye to Lucas and then left. Haley watched her leave and then turned to Lucas.

"What are you gonna do?" Haley asked.

"I don't even know." He groaned. "This isn't going to swept under the rug. Lily never acts like this. Never. I know my daughter and this is not who she is. A part of me just wants to punish the bad behavior and end it now, but the other part of me wants to sit down with her and talk about why she is acting like this. Is it just a phase? Did something happen that upset her. I know she is four. But that doesn't mean she is just being a kid. A lot has changed this year for both our kids. Maybe she doesn't know how to control her emotions."

"True. Very true." She said. "But from what I've heard…Lily is just testing to see how far she can push her dad's new girlfriend." She said as Lucas looked down. He knew she was right and that hurt him even more. "She did it with Lindsay."

"She did?" He asked.

"Yes. When it was just Lindsay and Lily they fought all the time. It stressed them both out." She said as he nodded. "Are you gonna go see Brooke now?' She asked.

"No. I'm meeting Peyton for coffee." He said as she shook her head. "It's not like that. I'm engaged." He said as he hugged her and walked out. He walked to his car and drove to the diner. As he pulled up he saw the comet and smiled. He got out and walked inside. He saw Peyton sitting at a booth with two cups of coffee. He walked over to her and sat down across from her.

"Hi Luke!" Peyton said.

"Hi, how are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm great…" He said as she shook her head.

"You get back in town and you haven't seen Brooke. Something is wrong." She stated. He nodded and then looked at her. He sighed and then looked down at his coffee. He shook his head and groaned. He looked down at his tapping foot and then back at Peyton.

"I love Brooke." He said. "I do. I want to spend my entire life with her."

"Then why are you here?" She asked. "Why are you drinking coffee with me instead of being with Brooke?" She looked at him and he said nothing. He took a sip of his coffee and then looked at her. As he opened his mouth to talk a tear fell from his eye.

"What if I'm not enough?" He asked.

"What are you talking about?" She asked. "You are good enough for her. She loves you." She looked at him and he was still looking down.

"What if all I am going to be is the high school basketball coach?" He asked. "Brooke deserves the world. What if I can only give her Tree Hill?" He stated and then she grabbed his hand that was resting on the table. He looked up at her and she had this smile that he couldn't look away from.

"I think there is something you should know." She said as he continued to look at her. "Everyone asked why we came back. Brooke's headquarters are in New York. I had a job in LA that was actually a really great job. I lied and told everyone that it wasn't. But it was a great job. Brooke called me one night and we talked. Hearing her voice I knew she needed to go home, back to Tree Hill. But I also knew that she couldn't come alone. So I came back with her. We said it was because my job failed and I couldn't make it. I do want my own label but that's not why I came back. I came back for my best friend. Brooke was there for me when my mom died, when my dad left for his job. She was always there for me. So when she told me she wasn't happy with her life and the one thing that would make her happy was returning home, I quit my job and came with her." She said as he looked at her.

"What did she say that made this decision for you?" He asked. She smiled and took a deep breath.

"She said she would give it all up." She said. "She would give up her money, her line, her houses across the world, everything for one person. You." She said as he smiled. "Brooke came back to Tree Hill for you." She said as he got up.

"I have to go talk to Brooke." He said as she smiled. He walked out to his car and drove to the store. He parked and walked up to the door. He smiled because Brooke was dancing in her store like a teenager in their room. He opened the door and she didn't notice him. He smiled as she twirled in a circle and then noticed him.

"Luke!" Brooke said with utter excitement. She quickly pulled him in for a tight hug. She smiled as he kissed her.

"I missed you pretty girl." He said as he kissed her again. She looked at him and then let go.

"What are you doing home?" She asked. "Last night you said you didn't know when you were coming. That your book tour was starting, today." She asked as he sighed. She watched as he walked to the counter.

"Its not going well." He said. "They put my book in the sci-fi section. The sci-fi section. My new editor didn't even read my book. He just got assigned to handle the tour." He sighed as she walked over to him and hugged him. He looked at her and hugged her back. She took his hand and walked to the purple couch in the store. They both sat down and he looked at her. She smiled and he felt at peace.

"What's going on in that wonderful mind?" She asked as he smiled.

"I've been in town since this morning." He said as he looked at her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay Luke." She said. "But why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"I had a lot on my mind." He said and then looked at her. "I just didn't feel good enough for you. I know that sounds awful. I was worried that me being a high school basketball coach and teacher wouldn't be enough. You deserve the world and I was afraid that the world of Tree Hill wouldn't compare." He finished as she looked at him.

"My world is where you are, always." She said and then kissed his cheek. He smiled and then looked at her.

"I heard you had problems with Lily?" He questioned.

"Just a little." She said. "I was reading earlier that at Lily's age her personality is changing and really taking its forum. I think Lily is also getting used to having me as a parental role." She said as he nodded.

"I think I'm going to talk to her tonight." He said as she nodded. The two sat there and talked. Lucas looked at her and smiled. "I completely forgot to ask how your doctors appointment went. I'm so sorry. How was it?" He asked. She looked down and then at him. She couldn't smile and then looked down. He lifted her chin up and she moved her face away from him. "Brooke…" He said.

"Do you want more kids?" She asked.

"Of course." He said not taking in the context. "I can't wait for Lily to have siblings and for us to have more kids." He said as he noticed her playing with her engagement ring. She then slid it off her finger and put it in his palm.

"Then I think you should find someone else to be with." She said as a tear fell. She started to get up and he stopped her.

"What are you talking about?" He asked.

"I can't have children Lucas." She said as she pulled her hand away from him and started to walk to the back. He quickly got up and followed her.

"Brooke." He called out to her and then turned the corner. He saw her leaning against the wall crying. He walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug.

"Lucas, I want you to be happy." She said. "You just said that you wanted children. Siblings for Lily."

"Brooke I want those with you." He said as he let go of her.

"Didn't you hear me?" She cried. "I can not have children Lucas. Lily is it for us. She won't have siblings and I won't ever give birth to kids."

"I love you and want a family with you." He said. "If Lily is it, then we have one child and spoil her like crazy. But we have a big house that we can still fill. There are options." He said as she looked at him. He looked at her and put the ring on her finger. "This ring means I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Brooke I want a life with you and everything that is included in your life"

"I love you Lucas Scott." She said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He hugged her tight and could hear her talking into his chest.

"What was that?" He asked.

"You said options." She said as he pulled away and looked at her.

"Yeah, we could adopt." He said. "They take a long time but we might get lucky or we could be on a list and just wait."

"I want to tell Lily before we even get on the list." She said. "I'm not ready to tell everyone that I can't have kids…I haven't even told Peyton or Haley. And Luke, please don't tell them." She said.

"Never. It's yours to tell." He said. "And I agree I think we should talk to Lily about it." He smiled as he kissed her forehead. He looked at the clock and then at Brooke. "Is Haley's nanny picking up Lily today?" He asked.

"No, Millie went to pick up Lily before you got here. She's been picking up Lily in the afternoon." She said as he nodded.

"What about…" He started to say as she shook her head.

"I do not like that woman." She said. "Nanny Carrie is just not a nice lady. I tried to tell Haley but she doesn't see it. Lily does not like being around her at all." She said as he shook his head. Lily likes everyone. "While you were gone, I'm not gonna lie, I was struggling. I was trying to figure out what to do with work, meetings, and caring for Lily. Haley and Nathan offered for Carrie to pick up Lily and watch her for a little during the day and then drop her off here. Well I took them up on it and Lily would come in crying, or upset, or just very unhappy. So I asked Millie to pick up Lily the next week and she came in normal and happy. Millie loved it so its just become a normal thing." She said as the door chimed. "That should be them." She said as they heard Millie talking and then a tiny sweet voice.

"Brooke?" Millie said as Brooke walked around the corner and saw a very messy little girl. Before school Brooke had braided Lily's hair in two french braids and put her in a pair of jeans with a red and white clothes over bros kids baseball tee. Now she was looking at a little girl covered in dirt and ice cream smeared on her face. Brooke smiled and walked over to Lily.

"Someone looks like she had a fun day." Brooke said as she got down on Lily's level.

"Yeah we played outside and then Aunt Millie picked me up and took me for ice cream and we played at the park." Lily said as she smiled.

"Wow that sounds like a really big day…" Brooke said with a smile. She looked back at her office and then back at the little girl. "There's a surprise in the back office if you wanna go take a look." She said as she got up. Millie was a little confused as Brooke smiled at her. Lily walked to the back and then saw Lucas.

"Daddy!" Lily screamed with excitement. She ran up to him and greeted her on her level and then picked her up.

"Hi princess." He said as he kissed her cheek. He could feel her arms wrap around his neck. He smiled and then walked around the corner. "So I hope this isn't how she looked all day." He laughed as he set Lily down and looked at her.

"She just had a really fun day at school." Millie said as Brooke pulled a baby wipe out of her purse. She then wiped off Lily's face. Lucas smiled and then reached for Lily's hand.

"Well I think me and this little girl are going to head home and get some things straight." He said as Brooke smiled. "I'll have dinner ready for you when you get home." He said as he kissed her goodbye.

"Bye!" Brooke said as she hugged both of them.

"Bye Millie." Lucas said as Millie looked up from her books.

"Bye Lucas." Millie said as she watched them leave. Lucas held onto Lily's hand as they walked to the car. He helped Lily into the car and then got in the driver's seat. He started driving home and Lily talked to him the whole way home about everything he missed and how much she missed him. He pulled up to their house and parked in the driveway. He got out and then helped Lily out. They walked inside and Lily ran upstairs to her room. Lucas watched this and then heard Lily's door close. He walked upstairs and opened her door.

"Excuse me." He said as he opened the door.

"Hi daddy!" Lily said with a smile. She went back to playing with her toys while Lucas stood there looking at her.

"Why was your door shut?" He asked.

"Cause I did it." She said back to him. He was shocked by this answer.

"Lily Roe Scott!" He said as she looked at him. "Get up." He said sternly. She listened and stood up. He walked over to her bed and sat down. He then patted the spot next to him. She walked over to him and sat down. "I am not a fan of this attitude you have. I've heard that you had a really bad attitude while I was gone. I am very disappointed in you. You know you are not allowed to have your door closed. This is your last warning. Do you understand?" He asked.

"Yes." She said, as she got really quiet. He looked at her and sighed. It was his first time seeing her in a month and he got mad at her. It really hurt him. He stood up and walked to the door. He looked back at her and she was still sitting on her bed.

"Honey, I am going to be downstairs in the kitchen making dinner. You wanna come downstairs and play while I cook?" He asked.

"No." She said quietly. He sighed and then walked out. He then walked downstairs and into the kitchen. He started looking around trying to figure out where everything was. He was so surprised how moved in the girls got in the month he was gone. He found everything he needed and started making dinner. He decided to make fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn. As he started to prepare dinner he saw Lily walk downstairs with a box of crayons and a coloring book. She sat down at the table and started to color.

"What are you coloring?" He asked as he continued to cook. He looked at her when five minutes had gone by and she hadn't responded. He sighed. She continued to color as he went to the fridge and pulled out the grape juice. He made her a cup and sat it down in front of her. "So Lily, how do you like school?" He asked with no reply. He sighed again and then walked over to where she was sitting. He sat down and looked at her. She looked up at him and he smiled. "I missed you." He said as she smiled. He went to hug her and she had a complete melt down. She started crying as he hugged her. He picked her up and set her down on his lap. "Honey what's wrong?" He asked.

"I missed you." She cried and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He now knew why she had such a sour attitude. This was the longest Lily had ever spent away from her dad. He always took her with him.

"Sweetheart, I missed you too." He said as he rubbed her back. He continued to calm her as he got up and walked into the kitchen. He checked on everything and then walked back to the table. By this point Lily was very calm. He placed her back in her seat and turned to a new coloring page. They both started to color and then he got up and started cleaning up the kitchen. He was almost done cooking when he heard Brooke pull up. He finished the final touches on dinner. He walked over to Lily at the table. Lily looked at him and then climbed into his lap. He wrapped his arm around her and continued to watch her.

"I'm home." Brooke said as she walked through the front door.

"In the kitchen." He called out as Lily finished coloring. He then looked at Lily and moved her to the seat next to him. "I'm going to put this up and we can color more after we eat."

"Brooke said we can watch a movie." Lily said as he nodded.

"Well, then we can watch a movie after we eat." He said as he got up.

"It smells great in here." Brooke said as she walked into the kitchen. She smiled as she looked over at Lily. "Hi honey." She said as Lily smiled. Brooke looked at Lily's face and could tell she had been crying. Brooke looked over at Lucas who was making plates for the three of them. "Is she okay?" She asked as she walked over to him.

"I got mad at her earlier." He said as she nodded.

"Attitude?" Brooke asked as he nodded. He then walked with his plate and Lily's plate over to the table. Brooke followed with her plate. Lucas walked to the fridge and grabbed a beer for him and Brooke. He walked back to the table and they all started eating. Brooke looked at Lucas and they both had the same idea.

"Lily do you want a brother or sister?" Lucas asked.

"Like a baby?" Lily asked.

"Yeah like a baby." Brooke said. "Would you like that?" She asked.

"Mhm." Lily said as she ate.

"Honey." He said as she looked at him. "You know how Sam was going to be apart of the family but she wasn't a baby?" He asked.

"Yeah." Lily replied as she finished eating.

"Well what if that is how a new baby came into our family?" Brooke asked.

"Can we choose?" Lily asked as Brooke and Lucas looked at each other.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well my teacher is having a baby." Lily said. "She wants a girl but she can't choose." She said as Lucas was a little shock.

"Well we wouldn't really choose if we foster but if we adopt we could have the choice. We could say we want a boy or a girl but we could also just be happy with whatever life throws at us." He said.

"I want a brother." Lily said as they both laughed.

"Okay princess." He said as he picked up her plate. The family then started to get ready for the rest of the evening. While Lucas unpacked, Brooke gave Lily a bath. Once she was finished she put pjs on Lily. Both girls walked downstairs and sat down on the couch. Lucas walked in and saw Brooke brushing Lily's hair. He smiled as he watched them bond. He then walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to Brooke. He reached for Lily's blanket on the other side of Brooke and put it next to him. He was planning on sitting in the middle but Lily had other plans.

"I wanna sit by Brooke!" Lily said as she looked at Lucas.

"You always sit by me sweetheart." He said.

"But I wanna sit with Brooke." Lily argued.

"What if you sit in the middle?" Brooke suggested as Lily nodded. Lily then moved between them. They watched a movie together and once it finished Lucas turned the TV off.

"I think its time for bed little one." He said as he felt Lily lean more into his side. He stood up and then picked her up. She laid her head on his shoulders as he walked up the stairs. Brooke followed behind and then walked into Lily's room. Lucas laid Lily down on her bed and then tucked her in. He kissed her cheek and she smiled. "Good night Lily. I love you." He said as he finished tucking her in.

"Night daddy. I love you too." Lily said. Brooke then walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

"Good night honey." Brooke said. "Sweet dreams. I love you." She said as they walked to the door.

"Good night!" Lily said. "I love you mommy." She said as Brooke stopped in her tracks. This was the first time that Lily had called her mom. She walked out of the room and looked at Lucas with tears in her eyes.

"She called me mommy." Brooke said as he smiled. He wiped her tears away and gave her a huge hug.

"Its because you proved to her that you are her mom." He said with a smile. They then walked down the stairs together and through the living room to their room. He sat down on the bed with a smile and looked at her. "Do you want to fill out an application for adoption?" He asked.

"Can we? Please!" She asked as he nodded. They kissed as they started to get closer the doorbell rang and Brooke's phone started ringing. She picked it up and saw it was Haley. "Its Haley." She said as she walked out of her room and to the front door where Lucas was.

"Nathan is at the door." Lucas said. Brooke then answered her phone and walked into a different room. Lucas walked to the door and opened it. He was about to make a joke and then saw the look on hi little brother's face. "Nate…?" He said.

"She kicked me out." Nathan said as Lucas moved aside to let him in.

"What happened?" Lucas asked as Brooke walked back into the room.

"Nathan!" Brooke yelled. "The nanny?" She asked. Lucas looked at Brooke and then at Nathan.

"It isn't like that." Nathan said. "I pushed her away so many times. She came into my shower. I didn't ask her too." He said as both Lucas and Brooke both sighed.

"Do you need a place to stay?" Lucas asked.

"Do y'all mind?" Nathan asked.

"We have a guest room." Brooke said as she motioned upstairs. The three of them walked upstairs. Brooke opened the door to the guest room and Nathan walked in. He put his stuff down and then sat on the bed. He put his head in his hands and started to cry. Lucas then walked into the room and sat down next to him. Brooke shut the door and went to check on Lily.

-Let me know what y'all think! -M


	16. PLEASE READ AND COMMENT

I'm back!

I want y'alls help with a little something. Anyways, I have some amazing ideas for the story's future but need to do a time hop. I'm planning on this after the next chapter. If you have read my other story you know I do a lot of flashbacks. This will be happening too in this story. Let me know what you think. There will be a bunch of new characters in both Scott families as well as their friends' lives too. It is time to meet the new children that are running Tree Hill. Let me know in the comments!


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